Director of forced labor compensation foundation probed for forging victims' consent to plan
Published: 14 Apr. 2026, 18:37
Updated: 14 Apr. 2026, 18:42
![Members of the civic group Action for Historical Justice and Peace between Korea and Japan (translated) hold a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s branch office in Mapo District, western Seoul, on April 14. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/f9b45df2-f385-45fd-b0f4-b83dc8f89128.jpg)
Members of the civic group Action for Historical Justice and Peace between Korea and Japan (translated) hold a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s branch office in Mapo District, western Seoul, on April 14. [YONHAP]
Police are investigating allegations that the head of a government-run foundation fabricated consent by Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor for compensation under a controversial program.
The director of the foundation, Shim Kyu-seon, is accused of forging victims’personal seals — which are equivalent to legal signatures in Korea — to stamp documents without their consent, including for people who had refused to accept payments from the foundation or could not be reached.
The Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan was set up under a 2023 program launched by then-President Yoon Suk Yeol to compensate Korean victims who were forced to work for Japanese companies during Tokyo's 1910-45 occupation of the peninsula.
Under the plan, the foundation — funded by donations from companies in Korea and Japan — was to pay compensation to victims, instead of the Japanese firms that have been accused of using forced labor.
Critics argue that the plan allows the companies in question to avoid direct responsibility, which some victims have cited in their refusal to accept the payments.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday it is investigating Shim on suspicion of violating the Act on Contracts to Which the State is a Party, as well as other charges.
![Members of the civic group Action for Historical Justice and Peace between Korea and Japan (translated) shout slogans during a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s branch office in Mapo District, western Seoul, on April 14. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/00e2905f-86e1-49f3-8615-b5236d2fb5ed.jpg)
Members of the civic group Action for Historical Justice and Peace between Korea and Japan (translated) shout slogans during a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s branch office in Mapo District, western Seoul, on April 14. [YONHAP]
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety requested a police investigation following an audit last month of the foundation's operations under Shim.
The audit found signs that the foundation had unlawfully created and used the personal seals of victims.
The alleged violations involved victims who either did not agree to the compensation plan or were difficult to contact.
Authorities are also examining accusations that the foundation created its own official seal without receiving proper approval in order to deposit unclaimed compensation with a court. Shim is suspected of being aware of the practice and yet turning a blind eye.
Police are also looking into whether Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the conservative People Power Party, who previously served as Yoon's legal secretary, improperly intervened in the foundation’s legal affairs.
![Jung Shin-young, a 96-year-old Korean victim of Japanese wartime forced labor, calls for an apology in front of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on April 9. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/b34c9d59-44fd-468a-8096-ad7760eae0e3.jpg)
Jung Shin-young, a 96-year-old Korean victim of Japanese wartime forced labor, calls for an apology in front of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on April 9. [YONHAP]
The civic group Action for Historical Justice and Peace between Korea and Japan (translated) called for a thorough investigation and punishment during a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s branch office in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Tuesday.
“My father refused the compensation plan to his grave," said Lee Chang-hwan, the eldest son of the deceased forced labor victim Lee Chun-sik. "However, the Yoon administration effectively condoned the inhumane forging of his signature while he lay powerless due to illness and delirium at a nursing home."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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