A court has ruled against claims of statute of limitations by the descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators, fully accepting the state’s lawsuit to recover approximately 2.7 billion won in pro-Japanese assets.
On October 12, the Ministry of Justice announced that it had won a first-instance ruling in a lawsuit against the descendants of Shin Woo-seon, a pro-Japanese collaborator, regarding the return of unjust profits from the sale of property and the transfer of ownership. The Uijeongbu District Court's Goyang branch accepted all claims made by the state on October 8. The recovery target includes about 2.43 billion won from the sale of 13 parcels of land sold by the descendants between 1993 and 2005, as well as one parcel still owned, which has a public land value of approximately 270 million won.
Shin Woo-seon served as a vice-chairman of the Chosen Governor-General's Council and received the Korean Annexation Commemorative Medal and the Taisho Emperor's Commemorative Medal from Japan. Born in 1873, he died in 1943. The disputed land consists of 14 parcels in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang City, which were confirmed as his property during the Japanese land survey process in 1913 and 1917.
The descendants argued that the right to claim recovery had expired after five years under the National Finance Act, but the court deemed this an abuse of rights contrary to the principle of good faith. The Supreme Court had previously ruled in December 2024 that claims of statute of limitations by the descendants were an abuse of rights, citing the public interest in returning pro-Japanese assets to the state.
The court also determined that the state could recover the sale proceeds even if the pro-Japanese property was transferred to a third party before the Pro-Japanese Property Recovery Act took effect in December 2005. The Supreme Court had ruled in December 2016 that properties disposed of to third parties before the law's enactment are also included in the definition of pro-Japanese assets.
While the first committee only considered properties disposed of after the law's enactment for recovery, the second committee will have a broader scope, allowing for the recovery of sale proceeds as well. The Ministry of Justice stated it would actively respond if the defendants appeal and aims to achieve victories in other ongoing lawsuits.
Acting Minister of Justice Lee Jin-soo remarked, "This ruling will serve as an important milestone for the recovery efforts of the second Pro-Japanese Property Investigation Committee, which will launch on December 3. The Ministry of Justice will ensure thorough preparations for the committee's successful establishment."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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