The South Korean foreign ministry said on Monday it has begun a process to deposit compensation for four plaintiffs involved in wartime labor lawsuits against Japanese firms.

Seoul says that the deposits will nullify the plaintiffs' rights to claim further compensation.

This development signifies South Korea's further effort to address the long-standing issue with Japan.

In 2018, South Korea's Supreme Court ordered two Japanese companies to pay compensation to individuals who say they or their relatives were forced to work for these firms during World War Two.

In March, the South Korean government announced that a foundation affiliated with it would pay damages in place of the Japanese businesses.

Eleven of the 15 plaintiffs accepted the proposal.

In response to the government's move to deposit compensation, the lawyers representing the four remaining plaintiffs have raised the possibility of filing a lawsuit to challenge the legal validity of these deposits.