No Discussion on 'Comfort Women' and Forced Labor Issues
Criticism Over Focus Solely on North Korean Nuclear Threat
Members of civil society organizations participating in the "Joint Action for Historical Justice and Peaceful Korea-Japan Relations" held an urgent press conference on the 4th in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, condemning the Ministry's announcement to initiate the deposit procedure concerning the victims and bereaved families of Japanese forced mobilization, who have opposed the "third-party compensation." Photo by Yoon Dongju doso7@
The support group for victims of forced labor under Japanese colonial rule has condemned the government, stating that during the Korea-Japan summit, the two countries only agreed on cooperation regarding North Korea, without addressing any Korea-Japan issues.
On the 24th, the Citizens’ Group for Japanese Forced Mobilization issued a statement saying, "Historical issues such as the Japanese military 'comfort women' and forced labor were completely omitted from the summit's joint statement," and added, "Instead, the two countries only joined hands to cooperate on implementing UN Security Council resolutions in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats."
The group continued, "The third-party payment for forced labor victims is not a treaty, but merely a unilateral announcement by one side. Nevertheless, the government acted as if a non-existent agreement was in place and elevated it by calling it a 'promise between nations.' For Japan, this is a case of reaping benefits without any effort."
They further pointed out, "Despite the clear legal responsibility that the Japanese government and defendant companies must fulfill, the Lee Jaemyung administration has remained completely silent. The Japanese government and defendant companies must either compensate in accordance with court rulings or demonstrate sincerity by coming to the negotiation table."
Meanwhile, the third-party payment proposal was introduced in 2023 by the Yoon Sukyeol administration as a solution to the forced labor issue, taking diplomatic relations with Japan into consideration. Under this plan, the Korea Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan, a government-affiliated foundation, pays the compensation that Japanese war criminal companies are obligated to provide to forced labor victims.
At the time of the announcement, controversy arose over the so-called "humiliating solution," as the Korean government assumed the responsibility for compensation, and the apology process from Japanese companies, which victims had consistently demanded, was omitted.
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