Court orders Japan company to compensate WWII forced labourers

South Korean Lee Chun-sik, a 94-year-old victim of forced labor during Japans colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula before the end of World War II, sits on a wheelchair upon his arrival at the Supreme Court in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018. In a potentially far-reaching decision, South Koreas Supreme Court ruled that a Japanese steelmaker should compensate four South Koreans for forced labor during Japans colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula before the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

SEOUL: In a potentially far-­reaching decision, South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that a Japanese steelmaker should compensate four South Koreans for forced labour during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula before the end of World War II.

The long-awaited ruling, delivered after more than five years of deliberation at Seoul’s top court, could have larger implications for similar lawsuits that are pending in South Korea and will likely trigger a diplomatic row between the Asian US allies.