Democratic Party Gwangju City Council Members Demand "Stop Pro-Japanese Diplomacy and Find Solution for Forced Labor"

All members of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Council affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea urged the government to immediately halt the humiliating pro-Japanese diplomacy and come up with a solution for forced labor.

According to the Gwangju City Council on the 6th, the council members issued a statement saying, "It is heartbreaking that the government of the Republic of Korea, which should protect its people, is instead representing the Japanese government."

They continued, "President Yoon Seok-yeol, in his speech commemorating the 104th anniversary of the March 1st Movement, shifted the responsibility for Japan's colonial invasion onto us, and now even the solution for forced labor abandons the government's role to protect its citizens," adding, "The government has officially announced the 'third-party compensation' plan, where Korean companies' donations will be used to compensate victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period."

The council members explained that this is a clear diplomatic failure that does not acknowledge the perpetrator's responsibility at all, and is nothing more than a 'pro-Japanese treason' measure that cunningly deceives not only the victims of forced labor but also the public.

The council members stated, "The 'Youth Fund' announced by the government is not compensation for the victims but merely a promotion of exchange between the youth of both countries," and argued, "It is completely unrelated to the forced labor issue, and it excludes the participation of wartime companies in compensation payments and sincere apologies from the Japanese side, which the victims originally demanded."

They also emphasized, "In 2018, the Korean Supreme Court issued a final ruling ordering Japanese perpetrator companies to compensate the victims of forced labor," and stressed, "Instead of using this as a foundation to devise a solution, the president himself is undermining the Supreme Court ruling and granting immunity to Japanese wartime companies."

Furthermore, they said, "A humiliating forced labor solution that does not even obtain the victims' consent will become another source of diplomatic conflict with Japan," and added, "The government must immediately withdraw the 'third-party compensation plan,' which is marked by humiliation and incompetence, and reestablish a forced labor solution that includes sincere reflection and apology from the Japanese government."