A recent court decision ordering the Japanese government to pay damages to Korean victims of wartime sexual slavery became final Saturday when the defendant, Japan, did not file an appeal by the midnight Friday deadline.

On November 23, Seoul High Court overturned a lower court decision and ordered the Japanese government to pay 200 million won, or some 152-thousand U.S. dollars in damages to 16 former "comfort women" or their surviving family members.

The Seoul Central District Court initially dismissed the case in 2021, ruling that sovereign states cannot be tried in foreign courts, a legal concept known as "sovereign immunity."

Though the victims ultimately won an appeal,  receiving compensation may prove time-consuming. Unless the Japanese government voluntarily pays damages - and Tokyo has not indicated it will - the victims must ask a court to find Japanese government assets to seize.