SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court has rejected a claim by dozens of wartime factory workers and their relatives who sought compensation from Japanese companies for their slave labor before the end of World War II. The decision by the Seoul Central District Court appeared to run against landmark Supreme Court rulings in 2018 that sided with forced laborers. It largely aligns with the position maintained by Tokyo, which has insisted that all wartimes compensation issues were settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing relations. The Asian U.S allies have faced pressure from the Biden administration to repair their relations, which sank to postwar lows during the Trump years over history and trade disputes.
