Korea Relaunches Hunt for Assets Accumulated by Pro-Japanese Collaborators

South Korea is restarting an asset-recovery effort aimed at property accumulated by pro-Japanese collaborators during Japan’s colonial rule. The government plans to reactivate the Investigative Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators’ Property this December under a Special Act scheduled to take effect on Dec. 3. The commission is tasked with investigating and selecting collaborators and determining whether specific assets qualify for state forfeiture, including property disposed of after initial ownership. Lawmakers and officials say the move seeks to address long-standing historical and legal gaps.