South Korea plans fund to compensate forced labor victims

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials are considering creating a domestic fund to compensate Koreans who were enslaved by Japanese companies before the end of World War II, as they desperately try to repair relations with Tokyo that have deteriorated in recent years over historical grievances. The plan was revealed Thursday during a public hearing organized by Seoul’s Foreign Ministry. It’s being met with fierce criticism by victims and their legal representatives, who have demanded that the reparations come from Japan. Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been strained since South Korea’s Supreme Court in 2018 upheld lower court verdicts and ordered Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to compensate Korean forced laborers.