"Tension and Speed, Racing with Best Effort"
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] On the 5th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated regarding the operation plan of the public-private consultative body launched to find a solution for forced labor victims, "We will maintain a sense of urgency and speed while continuing efforts to listen to the opinions of various domestic stakeholders."
Choi Young-sam, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized at the regular briefing in the afternoon, "Including listening to diverse opinions, we will continue to make our best efforts to seek a reasonable solution" regarding the consultative body.
Spokesperson Choi explained, "Because public concern and interest are very high, the meeting was held yesterday as part of efforts to quickly resolve this issue by creating a forum for gathering opinions."
Regarding concerns that victims might find it difficult to participate in the consultative body in the future, he said, "This is just the first step. Please watch the efforts we are making."
On the 4th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the first meeting of the public-private consultative body on forced labor victims, chaired by First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong. Besides Ministry officials, 12 participants attended, including victim-related organizations, legal representatives of victims, and figures from academia, media, and the economic sector. The consultative body focused on expressing each party's stance on the forced labor victim issue.
The Ministry's emphasis on "urgency" and "speed" in the operation roadmap of the consultative body appears to consider the possibility that Japanese companies' domestic assets might be liquidated as early as this fall. Given the stagnation in efforts to improve Korea-Japan relations, the Ministry aims to devise a solution before the liquidation issue, which could become a last line for restoring bilateral relations, becomes a reality through a well-conducted short-term consultative body.
When asked by reporters whether the Ministry is considering resolving the liquidation issue, a Ministry official said, "We must naturally consider Korea-Japan relations, including the matters you mentioned," adding, "We used the expressions 'urgency' and 'speed' considering various factors."
The Ministry is expected to hold one or two more public-private consultative meetings within this month and additional meetings in August. The official said, "We will listen to opinions and the government will formulate a plan," adding, "Basically, we are not setting specific deadlines or solutions related to the operation."
Concrete proposals for resolving victim compensation and the liquidation of Japanese companies' domestic assets, as well as participants' statements, are expected to be actively discussed in future meetings. However, when asked whether the government has started drafting a plan, the official replied, "The government will listen more."
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