Tokyo and Seoul must avoid tit for tat over wartime labor

Regional security depends on neighborly relations

South Korea’s Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Nippon Steel to compensate four plaintiffs, including Lee Chun-sik, seated at center, for being forced to work for the company when Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula. © AP

August 5, 2020 14:58 JST

Nearly two years after South Korea's Supreme Court ordered what is now Nippon Steel to compensate those forced to work during colonial rule, a key judicial step to liquidate assets from the steelmaker has been completed.

Barring a successful appeal by the company, the assets could soon be turned into cold, hard cash, causing losses for the company. It is unfortunate that so much time was wasted on this issue since the 2018 court ruling.