An appeals court in Seoul ruled Friday that the South Korean government should compensate 139 lepers for forced vasectomies and abortions performed decades ago, the latest in a series of legal victories for leprosy patients.

The Seoul High Court ordered the government to pay 20 million won ($18,100) each to the plaintiffs for violating their personal rights.

"The vasectomies and abortions were performed without any legal basis," the high court said. "The lepers' personal rights, rights to equality and to pursue happiness were violated in the process."

A lower court had originally ordered the government to pay 30 million won to male victims and 40 million won to female victims, saying the physical pain women had to go through was more severe than what men experienced.

The appellate court, however, said it is hard to weigh the difference in mental distress suffered by men and women.

The higher court said it handed down a reduced compensation for the government as it has constantly worked to cure the patients and to abolish prejudice and discrimination against lepers rampant throughout society.

"With the ruling, we acknowledge the illegal actions committed by the country, but in some ways, not only the government but also the majority of people who lived at the time should share some responsibility," the court said.

South Korea began to carry out forced abortions and vasectomies on leprosy patients in the 1930s during Japan's occupation of the Korean Peninsula (1910-45). The practice is believed to have lasted until the 1990s. (Yonhap)