A Seoul court awarded damages to five Koreans who were subjected to forced labor at Japanese factories during World War II, the latest in a series of rulings in favor of victims. 

The Seoul Central District Court on Friday ordered Mitsubishi Materials Corporation to pay some 27 million won, or around 20-thousand-200 U.S. dollars, to a victim identified by the surname Heo, while awarding some 18 million won each to four other victims.

The ruling was in line with a landmark decision by the Supreme Court in 2018, which made it possible for victims to seek judicial remedy decades later.

In December 2023, the top court decided that prior to its 2018 ruling, the victims had faced a serious obstacle that prevented them from exercising their rights.