Nguyen Thi Thanh — a survivor of civilian massacres by Korean troops during the Vietnam War and the plaintiff in a civil lawsuit against Korea — celebrates with members of the "Citizens' Network for a Just Resolution of the Problems of the Vietnam War" after hearing via video call about her victory in the appellate court ruling, outside the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Jan. 17. Yonhap

A court of appeals on Friday upheld a lower court's ruling in favor of a Vietnamese national seeking compensation from Korea after losing family members and suffering wounds when Korean Marines killed dozens of civilians during the Vietnam War.

The appellate division of the Seoul Central District Court made the ruling, ordering the Korean government to pay 30 million won ($20,580) and the corresponding delay damages to Nguyen Thi Thanh, a 64-year-old woman who claimed she lost family members and was wounded during a massacre of about 70 Vietnamese civilians by Korean troops in a village in Vietnam's Quang Nam Province in 1968.

The ruling marked the first time a Korean court has acknowledged the state's liability to compensate victims in Korean troops' killings of Vietnamese civilians during the war.

Following the appellate court ruling, Nguyen expressed her gratitude and asked for attention to other victims in similar cases.

Nguyen filed the damages suit against the Korean government in 2020 and a Seoul district court ruled in favor of her in February 2023. (Yonhap)