SIA sent wartime records on Koreans

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

2009/12/31

The Social Insurance Agency sent copies of pension records to the South Korean government for 4,727 Koreans forced to work in Japan during World War II, sources said Tuesday.

In late October, Seoul asked Tokyo to look for pension records of about 40,000 Koreans who had performed such work.

The agency, which no longer operates, later confirmed that 4,727 Koreans had been registered in Japan's pension system while working during the war for Japanese firms. The system started in 1942.

Seoul has extended relief to Korean workers forced to work under Japanese rule and their bereaved families since 2008. The 4,727 people whose records were uncovered may be eligible for the support.

However, the agency said it did not look at how long each individual had paid into the system, and so their eligibility to collect withdrawal allowances from Japan is yet to be determined.

(IHT/Asahi: December 31,2009)