South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Japanese companies are responsible to compensate South Koreans it forced into labor during Japan’s colonization of Korea.

The Supreme Court overturned its original verdict in which it ruled against nine plaintiffs including 89-year-old Lee Byung-mok, who claimed damages and unpaid wages from Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel Corporation. The case was then sent back to the Busan and Seoul High Courts.

This is the first time a South Korean citizen victimized during Japan’s colonial rule won a damage claim suit against Japanese companies. The plaintiffs had filed the damage claims against both the South Korean and Japanese governments 12 years ago.

Regarding the prescription to claims of damages, the Supreme Court ruled that the statute of limitations on the individuals’ damage claims did not run out, despite the 1965 Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea Concerning the Settlement of Problems in Regard to Property and Claims and Economic Cooperation.

The court said that damage claims for Japan’s inhumane acts and its illegal activities that are directly related to Japan’s colonization cannot be subject to the 1965 agreement, adding that the statue of limitations on individuals’ claims do not run out under it.

It also said that the Japanese Supreme Court's 2007 verdict contradicts South Korea’s constitution, which views the conscription of South Koreans during Japan’s occupation as an illegal act in and of itself.