Jin Joong-kwon: "The Native Japanese Traitors Were in the Blue House... Why Should Our Taxes Pay the Price That Companies Should Bear?"

The view of the Blue House from Namsan, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hanah Na] The South Korean government proposed to the Japanese government a plan stating that "if companies comply with forced labor compensation, the South Korean government will later fully reimburse them," but the Japanese government did not accept it, according to a report by the Asahi Shimbun. Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized this, saying, "There was a native Japanese collaborator in the Blue House."

On the 31st of last month, former professor Jin shared the related article on his Facebook and commented, "There was a native Japanese collaborator in the Blue House," adding, "If this is true, it would be a serious problem. It means the Blue House tried to deceive the people."

He continued, expressing his resentment, "Why should we pay with our taxes for the price that companies who committed crimes against humanity must pay?" He insisted, "If anyone should pay instead, it should be the Japanese government." He concluded his post by saying, "They were waving bamboo spears around, so what is this nonsense?"

According to the Asahi Shimbun, the Blue House unofficially inquired with the Japanese government about a supplementary plan stating that "if companies comply with compensation, the South Korean government will later fully reimburse them" to improve relations with Japan. This plan was reviewed earlier this year under the leadership of Presidential Secretary No Young-min, based on President Moon Jae-in's intention to "respect the Supreme Court ruling."

However, the Japanese government reportedly rejected the South Korean government's proposal, stating, "Even if the companies' expenses are reimbursed, the fact that the ruling is enforced does not change, so we cannot accept it."

Meanwhile, the Japanese government has claimed that the compensation issue was already resolved under the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims and Economic Cooperation Agreement and has argued that the South Korean Supreme Court's forced labor compensation ruling violates international law.