The families of ten South Korean wartime forced labor victims who won lawsuits against liable Japanese companies have agreed to receive compensation through the government’s plan.

Seo Min-jung, the director general of Asia and Pacific affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, said in a press briefing on Thursday that the bereaved families of ten of the 15 victims agreed to accept the government's compensation plan, expressing hope for swift resolution of the issue.

The director general said that compensation and interest for arrears will be paid by Friday, adding that the government will continue sincere efforts to seek understanding of the victims and their families on the issue.

Last month, Seoul announced a plan to compensate Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor through a state fund with contributions from domestic companies instead of the responsible Japanese firms.

The three surviving plaintiffs of the original 15 publicly rejected the government’s compensation plan, joined by the bereaved families of two other victims.