Yeo 'Forced Mobilization Lawmakers' Group' Formed and Condemned
Foreign Affairs Committee Members Also Discuss Protest Plans
The opposition parties issued a series of condemnation statements regarding the government's announcement of the 'third-party compensation plan,' which proposes compensating victims of forced labor during Japanese colonial rule with donations made by Korean companies. They demanded the immediate withdrawal of the government plan, using terms such as 'surrender' and 'humiliation' to criticize it.
On the 6th, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, criticized at the party's expanded executive meeting, saying, "This is a secondary harm that tramples on victims demanding genuine apologies and compensation from the perpetrators," and called it "one of the greatest diplomatic humiliations and stains in history, comparable to the Samjeondo humiliation."
He added, "We will not tolerate any attempt to grant impunity for crimes," and "We will strongly confront the government on behalf of the people."
On the same day, 53 members of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party, the Justice Party, and other members of the 'Forced Mobilization Parliamentary Group' held a press conference at the National Assembly condemning the government's compensation plan and demanding its immediate withdrawal. They pointed out, "The government's announcement of the third-party compensation solution, which does not include genuine apologies and compensation from the war crime companies, will be recorded as the worst diplomatic disaster in Korea-Japan relations history, a declaration of surrender with Korea, the victim, bowing to Japan, the perpetrator."
The lawmakers plan to begin actions demanding the immediate cancellation of the Yoon administration's compensation plan starting from that day. After the press conference, Woo Won-shik, a Democratic Party lawmaker, rebutted, "The Supreme Court's ruling on compensation by war crime companies and individual claims have not been extinguished," and said, "Are our companies war crime companies? I believe that the directors and members participating in the companies should not agree to that."
Members of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee from the Democratic Party, along with Kim Hong-gul, an independent lawmaker and son of former President Kim Dae-jung, also held a press conference at the National Assembly demanding, "The Yoon government must withdraw the humiliating forced mobilization compensation plan and come up with a new solution."
They stated, "The compensation plan announced by the Yoon government shakes the rulings of the highest institution of the Republic of Korea's Constitution and is an act of breaking the spirit of the separation of powers, as stipulated by the Constitution, for the benefit of Japan," and criticized, "This solution only confirms that the forced mobilization solution, which the Yoon Seok-yeol administration said it would listen to the victims' opinions and find the best solution after its inauguration, was ultimately a scripted plan, showing no diplomatic effort for national dignity." Members of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee also revealed that they are discussing action plans at the committee level.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the pro-Moon Jae-in policy forum 'Sa-ui-jae,' an outside organization, issued a statement saying, "It fully accepted Japan's claim that Korea violated international law and shifted responsibility onto us," and fiercely condemned it as "a complete defeat for Korean diplomacy."
They continued, "It accepted Japan's claim that individual compensation for forced labor victims was concluded by the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement, violating the Supreme Court ruling that sought to remedy damages caused by illegal colonial rule and aggressive war, which were not covered by the Claims Agreement," and said, "Our government has once again inflicted secondary harm on victims whose human rights were violated by Japanese colonial rule."
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