South Korea Court Dismisses WWII Lawsuit That Roiled Japan Ties
- Court rules WWII-era victims have no legal rights to damages
- The case has exacerbated tensions between two key U.S. allies
Photographer: Paolo KOCH/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
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A South Korean court dismissed a lawsuit filed against Japanese companies to compensate Koreans who were conscripted to work in factories during World War II, in a case that has raised tensions between the two U.S. allies.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled Monday that the 85 former laborers and their families suing the 16 Japanese companies, including Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., didn’t have legal rights to seek damages. The plaintiffs immediately vowed to appeal.