After a long and tiring wait,... especially considering the age of the victims,... the first hearing in a lawsuit filed against Japanese government by former South Korean comfort women will take place in Seoul this afternoon.<br />It comes three whole years after it was put on ice due to Tokyo's refusal to participate.<br />Kim Hyo-sun reports.<br />The first hearing in a lawsuit seeking damages from Japan for wartime sex slavery is scheduled to be held in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon.<br />The suit was filed in 2016, but the start of the trial was postponed until now.<br />This was because the Japanese government refused to participate in the case, returning the petition to the South Korean district court.<br />As a result, the court had to take the procedure of conveyance by public announcement.<br />This means uploading the related documents on its bulletin board for a set period of time so it's considered that the documents have been delivered even if they haven't been acknowledged by the other party.<br />Over the course of the past three years,... five former comfort women, including the outspoken activist Kim Bok-dong, have passed away.<br />"Unless the Japanese government apologizes and compensates on legal terms, we will refuse their money, even if it's tens or hundreds of billions of won."<br />It's unclear whether the Japanese government will take part in the hearing.<br />Two elderly victims are expected to be there.<br />The Lawyers for a Democratic Society in Korea aim to criticize the Japanese government, saying its actions are infringing on the individual rights of the elderly victims.<br />They also plan to ask the judicial branch to make a righteous decision given that this lawsuit may be the last chance for the women to get justice.<br />Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.<br />
