After Discussing Forced Labor Solution... Japanese Foreign Ministry "Continuing Communication with Korea"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] On the 30th, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it will continue communication with South Korea regarding the compensation issue for forced laborers during the Japanese colonial period.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated after a Korea-Japan director-level diplomatic consultation held in Seoul on the same day, "Following the consultation on the 16th of this month, both sides exchanged candid opinions on overall Korea-Japan relations, including the issue of former Korean Peninsula-origin laborers." The term "Korean Peninsula-origin laborers" is the Japanese expression for forced laborers.

The Ministry explained, "Both sides reaffirmed their intention to continue communication between diplomatic authorities to resolve current issues, restore Korea-Japan relations to a healthy state, and further develop them."

Seo Minjeong, Director of the Asia-Pacific Bureau of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Funakoshi Takehiro, Director of the Asia and Oceania Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met in the afternoon at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to discuss bilateral issues including the forced labor compensation problem.