A court in Seoul has ruled that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un must pay damages to five former South Korean prisoners of war who were held in North Korea for decades after the Korean War.

The Seoul Central District Court ordered Kim to pay a total of 105 million won, with each plaintiff receiving 21 million won. The men are former South Korean soldiers captured during the 1950–53 Korean War and were never repatriated despite the armistice agreement signed in 1953, News.Az reports, citing Euro News.

The plaintiffs include Koh Kwang-myun and four other survivors, all now in their 90s. They are among only a small number of former South Korean POWs still alive and living in South Korea.

According to the court, the men were captured during military operations and later forced into labour in North Korea for decades. Koh reportedly worked in a POW camp and later in a coal mine in North Hamgyong Province before escaping in 2001. Another plaintiff, Choi Ki-ho, was also forced to work in coal mines for more than 50 years. Lee Sun-woo reportedly lost three fingers during his capture in the war.

The ruling marks the third time South Korean courts have awarded damages against Kim Jong-un and North Korea in similar cases. However, none of the previous plaintiffs have successfully received compensation.

Some former POWs have attempted to seize North Korean-linked assets held in South Korea, including copyright fees connected to North Korean state television broadcasts, though legal proceedings remain ongoing.

South Korean media reported that the court handled the case through a legal process known as public notification because there was no practical way to directly notify North Korea or Kim about the lawsuit.

The Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, meaning the two Koreas technically remain at war. It remains unclear whether the former POWs will ever receive the compensation awarded by the court.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova