Final Remarks at the Cabinet Meeting on the 7th: "Decision Made After Many Trials"
President Yoon Suk-yeol stated regarding the government's proposed solution for compensation of forced labor victims, "The solution to the forced labor issue is the fulfillment of the presidential election pledge," adding, "It is the implementation of the election promise made to the people."
According to the Presidential Office on the 12th, President Yoon said in his closing remarks at the Cabinet meeting on the 7th, "From the beginning of my term, I instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find a solution, and through various twists and turns, our government has made a decisive decision," conveying this message.
In particular, President Yoon urged the Cabinet members, "I have clearly expressed from the start the urgent need to resolve the forced labor issue promptly and to revitalize exchanges between Korea and Japan in the economic, security, and cultural sectors," and requested, "Please firmly recognize that this is the fulfillment of the election pledge made to the people." He further explained, "The core directions of the foreign policy during the presidential election were ▲strengthening extended deterrence through the Korea-US economic and security alliance ▲inheriting the spirit of Kim Dae-jung and Obuchi and fostering a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship ▲and aiming to become a global pivotal state."
On the same day, the Presidential Office edited President Yoon's remarks on improving Korea-Japan relations from the Cabinet meeting and released them as a YouTube Shorts video. The video prominently featured the phrase on President Yoon’s desk nameplate, 'The Buck Stops Here,' emphasizing that this solution represents President Yoon’s responsible decision to resolve the strained Korea-Japan relations that have persisted over the past five years under the previous administration.
However, opposition to the government's proposed solution for forced labor victim compensation remains strong. While the Presidential Office expressed a general stance of listening to the voices of the people, there is analysis suggesting that the new Korea-Japan relations improvement plan by the Yoon administration, which emphasizes 'national interest' and 'future' just six days before the Korea-Japan summit, may lose momentum. According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea on the 10th, targeting 1,002 voters nationwide from the 8th to 9th, 35% supported the government's 'third-party compensation method' for the sake of Korea-Japan relations and national interest, while 59% opposed it, citing the lack of apology and compensation from Japan. Support for third-party compensation was prominent among those with a positive evaluation of the president’s job performance (78%) and supporters of the People Power Party (67%), but opposition was dominant among most respondents outside the ruling party’s support base.
The two governments are highly likely to discuss not only economic cooperation measures such as Japan’s exports to Korea but also the normalization of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) during this summit. Moreover, the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and Japan’s Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) are coordinating the establishment of a 'Future Youth Fund' (tentative name) aimed at supporting international students.
The Presidential Office stated, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration will make every effort to communicate closely with the victims, sincerely explain the contents of this announcement, and listen to the victims’ opinions," adding, "While striving for the practical rights restoration of the victims and the future-oriented development of Korea-Japan relations, we will continue follow-up measures to ensure that this internationally supported solution is successfully implemented."
Meanwhile, the Gallup Korea survey was conducted via telephone interviews with randomly selected samples from a wireless phone RDD sample frame. The sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Detailed survey methodology and results can be found on the Gallup Korea website or the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.
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