Seoul: Kim Han-soo, a South Korean victim of Japan’s wartime forced labor, died at the age of 108 earlier this week, as reported by an activist group on Friday. Kim was forced to work in a Nagasaki shipyard operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for one year starting in August 1944. His death on Wednesday was confirmed by the Center for Historical Truth and Justice.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim was an advocate for the restoration of human rights and dignity, having taken legal action against what he termed “war crime companies.” In 2019, he launched a compensation lawsuit against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, alleging that he was subjected to inhumane conditions during his period of forced labor.

Although a district court initially dismissed his claim, an appellate court ruled in his favor in June this year. The court ordered Mitsubishi to pay Kim 100 million won, approximately US$69,700. The case is currently awaiting a decision from the Supreme Court.