[imText1]Tokyo — Ko Jung Mee, who returned to North Korea from Japan with her parents in 1963 and then re-defected to Japan more than 30 years later, has lost her claim for damages from the Chongryon (General Association of North Korean Residents in Japan).
Osaka district court gave its verdict in the case on Monday, saying, “The statute of limitations period is 20 years, but it was 44 years old ago when Ms. Ko went to North Korea. Were she to have brought her lawsuit against Chongryon within six months of getting back to Japan, it would have been reasonable. But, she did so two years and seven months after returning, making it difficult to accept the plaintiff’s claim.”
The court decision went on, “Chongryon does not have any obligation for the security of Korean residents heading for North Korea from Japan. No contracts have been made.”
Accordingly, Ms. Ko said, “I can understand the law, but it is really regrettable. There are countless people who don’t know the terrible things Chongryon did at that time. In the future, it is necessary to spread news of the tragedy of the Homecoming Project. It must never happen again.”
After Ko Jung Mee defected from North Korea in 2003, she sued Chongryon for damages of around 11 million yen because she says she suffered physical and psychological damage in North Korean detention.
She has lodged an appeal against the decision.
[imText2]
