South Korea wins court case to reclaim 2.7 billion won from collaborator’s heirs
A Seoul court ruled in favor of the South Korean government, ordering the descendants of a former pro-Japanese collaborator to return land and proceeds worth about 2.7 billion won.
South Korean officials announced that a district court in Goyang has ordered the heirs of Shin Woo-sun to return assets seized during the Japanese colonial era. Shin, who served as a vice councilor on the colonial advisory body, had been awarded honorary medals by the Japanese government. The court ordered the return of 2.43 billion won derived from the sale of his former holdings, plus a land parcel assessed at about 270 million won.
The decision confirms that the government may reclaim such assets even if they were transferred to third parties before the 2005 law mandating restitution. The Justice Ministry initiated the lawsuit in January, seeking to recover what it described as “unjust proceeds.” This marks a rare enforcement of post-colonial property claims in South Korea.
Why it matters
The ruling shows South Korea’s willingness to enforce historic restitution laws against descendants of colonial collaborators.
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