South Korean Court Demands Japan Compensate 'Comfort Women' in Landmark Ruling

A South Korean appellate court has ordered Japan to compensate a group of 16 women who were forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels, overturning a lower court ruling that dismissed the case. The ruling has prompted a strong protest from Tokyo, as Japan claims the issue was settled under a 1965 treaty. The legacy of Japan's colonial rule of the Korean peninsula remains politically sensitive, with many surviving "comfort women" still demanding a formal apology and compensation. Bilateral relations between the two countries have been strained for years by the issues of wartime sex abuse and forced labor.