A Seoul court rules for the third time in lawsuits brought by former South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) against North Korea and leader Kim Jong-un, seeking damages for forced labor during captivity. On Thursday, the Seoul Central District Court orders North Korea and Kim to each pay 21 million won (about $14,000) to five former POWs, who escaped from the North in the early 2000s after being captured during the 1950-53 Korean War. The plaintiffs argue they were compelled to work in North Korean mines even after the 1953 armistice ended major hostilities. The court awards the full amount each person requested. The case follows two prior similar decisions by the same court: awards made in July 2020 to two former POWs and in 2023 to three others. In the Thursday proceedings, the defendants are not represented in court, and the rulings proceed in their absence. While the plaintiffs have won damages in court, reporting indicates that collecting the compensation remains difficult, and none of the earlier awarded payments has been collected so far.
Seoul court rules again for compensation for Korean War POWs against North Korea
A Seoul court rules for the third time in lawsuits brought by former South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) against North Korea and leader Kim Jong-un, seeking damages for forced labor during captivity....
- The Seoul Central District Court orders North Korea and Kim Jong-un to pay 21 million won each to five former South Korean POWs.
- The plaintiffs say they were forced to work in North Korean mines even after the 1953 armistice.
- The ruling is the third time the same court has awarded compensation to former POWs in similar cases.
- The plaintiffs were captured during the 1950-53 Korean War and escaped from North Korea in the early 2000s.
- In these court proceedings, the defendants are not represented; earlier awards also have not yet been collected.
Thursday's ruling was the third time former South Korean POWs have won damages against Kim and North Korea, according to local reports, although none has yet succeeded in collecting compensation.
3 months agoFormer South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) again won a damages suit filed here against North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday over forced labor they endured in captivity. The Seoul Central District Court ordered North Korea and Kim to pay 21 million won ($14,000) each to five former POWs, who escaped from the North in the early 2000s after being taken prisoner during the 1950-53 Korean War. The five, including Ko Kwang-myun, 95, filed the suit earlier this year, claiming they were forced to work in mines in North Korea even after the 1953 truce that halted the Korean War. They demanded a compensation of 21 million won per person, and the court granted the full amount. The ruling marked the third such decision after the same court handed down similar verdicts in 2020 and 2023. The North and Kim were ordered to pay the same compensation to two former POWs in July 2020 and three others in 2023. In all cases, the court hearings proceeded without any party representing the defendants. Despite winning the cases, however, it seems difficult for the plaintiffs to actually receive th
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