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South Korean wartime sex slaves go to court to demand compensation from Japan
- The case is likely to exacerbate tensions between the neighbours, which are locked in a bitter row over historical and trade issues
- Historians say up to 200,000 women – mostly from Korea, but also other parts of Asia including China – were forced to become sex slaves during WWII
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Former South Korean wartime sex slaves went to court in Seoul on Wednesday to demand compensation from the Japanese government, in a case that is likely to exacerbate tensions between the neighbours.
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Seoul and Tokyo are locked in a bitter row over historical issues that has spiralled into a full-fledged trade dispute.
The first hearing in the case took place some three years after the 20 plaintiffs – including victims and their family members – filed their action, demanding compensation of 200 million won (US$170,000) each.
Mainstream historians say that up to 200,000 women – mostly from Korea, but also other parts of Asia, including China – were forced to become sex slaves, so-called “comfort women”, for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Similar cases have previously been mounted in Japan, where courts have ruled against the plaintiffs.
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