Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Thursday, November 14, 2024 77° Today's Paper


Top News

Seoul: Surviving sexual slavery victims will receive $90,000

ASSOCIATED PRESS / OCT. 2015

Lee Yong-soo, left, who was forced by the Japanese government to serve as a sexual slave during World War II, shouts slogans with students near the statue symbolizing “a wartime sex slave” during a rally demanding full compensation and apology for wartime sex slaves from Japanese government near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Oct. 28.

SEOUL » South Korea says surviving South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s military in World War II will be eligible to receive 100 million won (about $90,000) each from a foundation that will be funded by the Japanese government.

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the families of deceased victims will be able to receive 20 million won ($18,000), and added it expects the Japanese government to soon transfer a promised 1 billion yen ($9.9 million) to a foundation formally launched in Seoul last month.

South Korea and Japan agreed to set up the foundation in December as they settled a decades-long dispute over South Korean sex slave victims. Seoul then said there were 46 surviving South Korean victims and 196 victims who had died.

We apologize for the inconvenience; our commenting system is currently undergoing some technical issues. Our team is working to resolve the problem, and hope for it to be back up soon. Thank you for your patience and understanding.