South Korea court dismisses 'comfort women' lawsuit, contradicts earlier ruling


FILE PHOTO: Former South Korean "comfort women" Lee Ok-sun and Gil Won-ok attend a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean court on Wednesday upheld Japan's state immunity to dismiss a lawsuit raised by a group of women who were forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels, contradicting a ruling in a separate earlier case that ordered Tokyo to compensate victims.

Remnants of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula remain contentious for both sides, with many surviving "comfort women" - a Japanese euphemism for the sex abuse victims - demanding Tokyo's formal apology and compensation.

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