Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung denounced Japan on Monday for its inaction following its defeat in a compensation suit filed by South Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, claiming that Japan's response was as a result of the "submissive diplomacy" of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The South Korean court ruling in favor of a group of women who were forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the country, known as "comfort women," was confirmed Saturday, as Tokyo decided not to appeal the verdict.
"The Japanese government not only suffered a final defeat in the lawsuit filed by comfort women victims but also shamelessly remains unresponsive without any reflection," said Rep. Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, during a party leadership meeting.
Despite the historical ruling, it is highly unlikely that the victims will receive compensation unless the Japanese government voluntarily offers it. The victims may need to identify Japanese assets that can be seized by a court and wage another legal battle.
In response to Japan's decision not to appeal, Seoul's foreign ministry stated that it would continue efforts to recover the honor and dignity of comfort women while trying to ensure that the two countries remain engaged in future-oriented cooperation.
"The government should now abandon submissive diplomacy and boldly confront the Japanese government as a sovereign nation," Lee said, adding that Tokyo's act is the result of the Yoon government ignoring the voices of war crime victims and the court ruling.
The victims filed the suit in 2016, but the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the case in 2021, citing sovereign immunity, a legal doctrine that allows a state to be immune from a civil suit in foreign courts.
Last month, however, the Seoul High Court overturned the lower court's decision and ruled that the defendant must pay the full amount requested by the victims.
Since the Yoon administration, the two countries have been seeking to improve relations, plagued by a slew of historical disputes stemming from Japan's colonial rule, including the comfort women issue.