South Korea's government began a process to deposit compensation for four victims of forced labor under Japan's 1910-1945 colonization who have rejected the government's third-party reimbursement plan with a court, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.

Seeking to improve ties with Japan, South Korea announced the plan in March to compensate Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor on its own without asking for contributions from Japanese firms.

According to the ministry, the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan started a process to deposit the compensation for two victims and families of two deceased victims who have rejected the government plan warranting compensation through a fund created by the public foundation.

The four are among a total of 15 plaintiffs who won legal battles against Japanese companies, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp., at South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018. Of those, 11 have agreed to accept the compensation scheme.

As part of efforts to improve ties with Japan, the Seoul government announced its decision in March to compensate the victims thorough the government-affiliated foundation without contributions from accused Japanese firms.

Following the announcement, victims and supporting civic groups initially strongly protested the plan, demanding Japan's apology and direct involvement by the accused companies in the compensation process. Many plaintiffs, however, later decided to accept the government's plan. (Yonhap)