North Korea Sued by Defectors in Japan

August 21, 2018

Tokyo- Five North Korean defectors in Japan on Monday filed a suit in Tokyo demanding North Korea pay 500 million yen in damages over its alleged human right abuse.

The suit was filed with Tokyo District Court, the first legal action against the North Korean government by defectors, according to the plaintiffs' lawyers.

The five claimed that North Korea asked Koreans living in Japan to come back between 1959 and 1984 when the country advertised repeatedly through the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, that it was a "heaven on earth" where things such as clothing, food and shelter were secured.

The plaintiffs said they returned to North Korea between 1960 and 1972, but they were forced to live under harsh conditions, including not being able to get food.

They claimed that North Korea committed an act of state-sponsored kidnapping involving deceiving victims.

They also said that their right to see their families in North Korea has been violated.

As Japan does not recognize North Korea as a sovereign state, the court's jurisdiction over the matter will be one of focal points in the case, people familiar with the situation said.

"The children and grandchildren I left behind in North Korea may be in danger, but I'd like to see them again by appealing to international public opinion," Eiko Kawasaki, 76, one of the plaintiffs, told a press conference.

"My parents who went back to North Korea with me wandered hopelessly in hell and ended their lives with regrets," said Hiroko Sakakibara, 68, another plaintiff. "The rogue nation can't be condoned."

Some 93,000 Koreans in Japan went back to North Korea during the campaign, according to the plaintiffs' side. Jiji Press