S. Korean court orders Tokyo to pay damages to wartime sex slavery victims in landmark ruling

SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean court ruled on Friday that Tokyo must pay damages to wartime sex slavery victims in the first ruling of its kind, which is likely to inflict more damage on the already fraught relations between the two neighboring nations. The Seoul Central District Court ordered Japan to make financial reparations of 100 million won (US$91,300) each to 12 "comfort women" who were dragged away from their homes and forced to work in front-line military brothels for Japanese soldiers during World War II. "Evidence, relevant materials and testimonies show that the victims suffered from extreme, unimaginable mental and physical pain due to the illegal acts by the accused. But no compensation has been made for their suffering" the court said in a verdict. The victims filed a petition for dispute settlement in August 2013, in which they claimed that they were either cheated or coerced into sexual slavery, and demanded they be compensated with 100 million won each for their suffering. However, the case could be referred to a court only in January 2016, as Tokyo had not officially responded to the South Korean court's correspondence. The court held its first hearing on the case in April last year. Tokyo maintained that the case should be dropped, based on sovereign immunity, a legal doctrine that allows a state to be immune from civil suit in foreign courts. But the victims argued that the rule should not apply to crimes against humanity and war crimes. Only five of the 12 plaintiffs are still alive. In South Korea, there are 16 surviving victims registered with the government. According to historians, there were around 200,000 victims, mostly from Korea. The ruling is feared to aggravate bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo, which are badly frayed over wartime forced labor and Tokyo's export curbs. Another court ruling in a similar case is expected to come out next week. jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr (END)