South Korean Court Orders House of Sharing to Return Donations

The court's decision follows allegations of inappropriate fund management and lack of transparency at the organisation supporting 'comfort women'.

, and Administrator

2025 November 5 . 9:11 AM

1 min read

In this picture, we see the coin in gold and brown color. We see some text written as "The United... — In this picture, we see the coin in gold and brown color. We see some text written as "The United States Of America". It might be a money coin. In the background, it is brown in color and it looks like a carpet.

A South Korean court has ruled against the House, ordering it to return donations kept as corporate reserves. The case has sparked controversy due to the presence of U.S. dollar banknotes in the organization's inventories, as seen in an illustration from May 4.

The House, a non-profit organization, has been ordered by the Seoul Central District Court to return donations worth around 1.6 billion won (approximately $1.3 million). The funds were kept as corporate reserves, which the court deemed inappropriate.

The organization, which supports women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II, has been accused of mismanaging funds. The controversy deepened when an illustration from May 4 showed U.S. dollar banknotes among the organization's inventories. However, there is no specific information about a bank holding these dollars.

The House must now return the disputed funds to donors. The organization has not yet commented on the ruling or the illustration. The court's decision comes amidst ongoing debates about the organization's financial management and transparency.