Government: "Efforts Needed to Heal Wounds of Japanese Comfort Women... No Additional Claims Will Be Made"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Regarding the Japanese government's opposition to the compensation ruling for Japanese military comfort women victims, the government urged, "We will continue to make every effort for an amicable resolution in consultation with the comfort women victims, but Japan must also demonstrate genuine efforts based on the spirit of responsibility, apology, and reflection that it has previously expressed, to restore the victims' honor and dignity and to heal their emotional wounds."

The government stated this on the 23rd in its "Position on the Japanese Side's Statement Regarding the Comfort Women Ruling."

It added, "We acknowledge that the 2015 comfort women agreement was an official agreement between the governments of South Korea and Japan," while also stating, "At the same time, we have maintained the position that a true resolution cannot be achieved solely through a government-to-government agreement that does not reflect the wishes of the victims."

Furthermore, the government emphasized, "While we have no plans to make any additional claims at the government level against Japan, we do not have the right or authority to prevent the victims from raising their issues," and stressed, "The Japanese government must recognize that the issue of Japanese military comfort women victims is an unprecedented wartime violation of women's human rights and a universal human rights violation, which breaches international human rights norms and international law."

Earlier that day, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu issued a statement immediately after the Seoul Central District Court's compensation ruling against the Japanese government was finalized, saying, "(This ruling) clearly violates international law and is very regrettable," and "We strongly demand once again that appropriate measures be taken immediately to correct this violation of international law."