SEOUL: An elderly South Korean victim of Japan's wartime forced labor has accepted a contentious compensation package, as confirmed by a victims' advocate group and the foreign ministry. This marks a significant shift for Yang Geum-deok, who had previously rejected a government-led compensation plan that excluded the involvement of responsible Japanese companies. According to Yonhap News Agency, Yang, one of the 15 original plaintiffs in the 2018 Supreme Court ruling on compensation, received her payment along with delayed interest from a government-affiliated public fund handling reparations. Yang is the 12th plaintiff to accept the compensation package under the "third-party" reimbursement plan initiated by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration in March of last year. The plan, aimed at improving South Korea's relations with Japan, involves compensating victims with donations from South Korean companies that benefited from a 1965 post-war bilateral treaty with Japan. Contributions from Japanese firms remain vo luntary, as Japan maintains that all compensation matters were resolved under the 1965 treaty. The 2018 ruling by South Korea's top court had ordered Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to compensate the victims for their forced labor during World War II, a directive Japan has refused to follow. Yang was among the few victims who initially rejected the government's compensation initiative. Despite South Korea's appeal for voluntary contributions from Japanese companies, no such donations have been made, leaving the public foundation handling the compensation underfunded. The civic group representing the victims has expressed uncertainty about whether Yang's acceptance of the compensation was voluntary, noting she has been hospitalized at a nursing facility since November last year and is investigating the circumstances surrounding her decision.
