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Attorneys representing victim plaintiffs of forced labor and mobilization under the Japanese occupation of Korea relay a video message by the sole surviving victim among their plaintiffs, Lee Choon-sik, in front of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 4.
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With only one surviving victim, timeframe for compensation is urgent
Attorneys representing victim plaintiffs of forced labor mobilization said they plan to continue with procedures to seize assets belonging to Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal if the company does not agree by Dec. 24 to discussions on implementing a recent Supreme Court ruling ordering it to pay damages. In a visit to the company’s headquarters in Tokyo’s Chiyoda ward on Dec. 4, the attorneys submitted a second request demanding that the company “reply by 5 pm on Dec. 24 with regard to the method of fulfilling its obligation to pay damages according to [the South Korean Supreme Court’s] ruling and follow-up measures to restore the rights of the victims.” The attorneys previously visited the Nippon Steel head office on Nov. 12 to deliver their first request. “If Nippon Steel does not agree to discussions by Dec. 24, we will initiate procedures within the following week to seize its assets within South Korea,” attorney Kim Se-eun said. “It typically takes around two weeks for court approval following a seizure request, and it also takes time to convert seized assets to cash once a seizure decision has been made, so there’s still time for discussions with Nippon Steel,” Kim added. “We are prioritizing discussions.” Attorney Im Jae-seong explained, “Three of the four plaintiffs passed away while the lawsuit was going on. We cannot keep waiting indefinitely.” “If something unfortunate happens to the lone survivor Lee Choon-sik, no one will be able to assume responsibility for this issue,” Im continued. The same day, the attorneys shared a video showing Lee lamenting, “What good will [compensation] do if it comes after I am gone?” The attorney announced plans to seize shares of PNR, a steelmaking by-product recycling company formed jointly by Nippon Steel and POSCO. They estimate the value of Nippon Steel’s shares at around 10 billion won (US$9 million) at least. The attorneys also said they plan to hold briefings within the year for additional legal action by victims of forced mobilization by Nippon Steel. The briefings are to chiefly target the 183 individuals identified during the 2000s as having been mobilized to work for the company. Nippon Steel once again refused to meet with the attorneys on Dec. 4. The attorneys left a copy of their request at the reception desk when told it would be delivered to the related department. Nippon Steel said it had “no comment” on its reason for declining the meeting. At the time of the first visit on Nov. 12, it did not give a definite response on whether the request would be reviewed by the relevant department. By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
