The three former slaves won their case on appeal; more than 60 were rescued in 2014
The South Korean government must pay 80 million won ($70,700) to three men who were enslaved on salt farms in remote islands off the country’s southwest coast for several years, a court ruled Friday.
The Seoul High Court said the government was responsible for their ordeals because local officials and police failed to properly monitor their living and working conditions. The court said the government should pay 30 million won ($26,500) each to two of the men and 20 million won ($17,700) to the third plaintiff.
More than 60 slaves, most of them with intellectual disabilities, were rescued from the islands following an investigation led by mainland police in 2014.
The Associated Press documented some of their stories in a yearlong investigation.
No officials indicted
Dozens of farm owners and job brokers were indicted, but no police or officials were punished despite allegations some knew about the slavery.
