Forced Labor Compensation: The 2018 Ruling vs the 1965 Treaty
Legal and diplomatic dispute over compensation for wartime forced laborers
During the Japanese occupation (1910-1945), approximately 780,000 Koreans were forcibly mobilized to mines, factories, and construction sites in mainland Japan, Sakhalin, and the South Pacific.
In 2018, Korea's Supreme Court ordered Nippon Steel (formerly Shin Nippon Steel) to compensate individual forced labor victims. Japan maintains this was already resolved by the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement and strongly opposed the ruling.
In 2023, the Korean government proposed a 'third-party payment' solution where Korean companies compensate victims, but victims have continued to express opposition.
Key Timeline
1910-1945: Imperial Japan's forced mobilization of Korean laborers
1965: Korea-Japan Claims Agreement signed
2018: Korea Supreme Court orders individual compensation
2019: Japan's export restrictions on Korea (de facto retaliation)
2023: Korean government announces third-party payment solution