S. Korean Court Dismisses Lawsuit Filed Against Japan by 'Comfort Women'

A South Korean court has ruled against a group of women who were seeking compensation from Japan for being forced into prostitution by colonial Japanese forces during World War Two. 

The judge at Seoul Central District Court said Wednesday that Japan is immune from civil lawsuits filed in another country under the concept of international law, adding that lifting the immunity would spark an inevitable diplomatic clash.    One of the original 20 plaintiffs in the case, 92-year-old Lee Yong-soo, denounced the decision outside the courtroom and vowed the group will take the case to the International Court of Justice.    In a separate case back in January, a different judge ruled in favor of a group of 12 so-called “comfort women” and ordered Tokyo to pay more than $89,000 each to compensate for their wartime suffering.  Japan angrily criticized the earlier decision on the grounds that it had settled the issue under a 1965 treaty that normalized bilateral relations with Seoul that included $800 million in reparations, as well as a separate  deal reached in 2015.