Colonial-era Korean labourers want Mitsubishi compensation

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of – Colonial-era Korean labourers have formally registered their request with a South Korean court to get its approval for the sale of local assets of their former Japanese employer.

A South Korean support group says lawyers for the ex-labourers sent such a request Tuesday because Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries refused to comply with a court order to compensate them for forced labour during the 1910-45 Japanese colonization.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says “the movement of cashing assets of Japanese companies is very concerning.”

South Korea and Japan are currently engaged in escalating disputes over Japan’s decision to tighten the approval process for the export of some high-tech materials.