Foreign Ministry dismisses claim it is compromising with Japan on forced labor issue

The Foreign Ministry dismissed a recent claim by a group of forced labor victims that it was pushing for a compromise with Japan in its ongoing negotiations on the forced labor issue. “There has yet to be a decisive solution on the matter,” said...

Yang Geum-deok, a 93-year-old victim of Japanese forced labor, participates in a press conference in Gwangju on Monday to protest an alleged Korean government plan to offer to Japan a compromise in their ongoing negotiations about the forced labor issue. [NEWS1]

The Foreign Ministry dismissed a recent claim by a group of forced labor victims that it was pushing for a compromise with Japan in its ongoing negotiations on the forced labor issue.

“There has yet to be a decisive solution on the matter,” said a Foreign Ministry official while speaking with a group of reporters in Seoul on Monday.

Earlier in the day, a group of forced labor victims, many of whom are in their 90s, hosted press conferences in Seoul and Gwangju to protest a compromise they said the Foreign Ministry was making in its negotiations with Japan.

“Last week, we heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the Korean government's most likely proposal [to Japan] on the issue of forced labor,” a member of the group said while reading out its statement issued on Monday at the press conference in Seoul.

The said proposal, according to the group, detailed how a foundation in Korea would create a fund and receive donations from Korean companies to compensate the victims of the forced labor.

“We are strongly against this idea, which is all about giving Japan and its companies an easy way out,” said the group in its statement.

The Korean government has been negotiating with Japan for a possible breakthrough solution on the historical dispute on the forced labor issue, which dates back to the 1910-45 Japanese annexation of Korea.

Around 220,000 Koreans were forced to work in Japan during this period, according to a fact-finding commission affiliated with the Prime Minister’s office.

When normalizing ties in 1965, Japan and Korea signed a deal that saw Japan give Korea $300 million in economic aid and $500 million in loans. Japan claims that all compensation issues related to its colonial rule were resolved with the 1965 treaty.

Then a landmark ruling by the Korean Supreme Court came on Oct. 30, 2018, which ordered Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal, renamed Nippon Steel, to pay 100 million won ($78,710) each to Korean victims of Japanese forced labor during World War II. The Supreme Court made a similar ruling on Nov. 29, 2018 against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Korea’s top court acknowledged the illegality of Japan’s colonial rule and recognized the individuals' rights to compensation had not expired.

Both Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi refused to comply with the top court's decisions, leading to a drawn-out legal process, a move that escalated tensions between Seoul and Tokyo.

The Supreme Court in Korea has yet to rule on whether to allow the liquidation of assets of two Japanese companies to compensate forced labor victims.

The Foreign Ministry also submitted an argument to the court in August to take into account the diplomatic efforts the ministry was making to try to reach a solution with Japan on the matter when deciding on its ruling, much to the protest of the victims.

Seo Min-jung, director general for Asia and Pacific affairs of the Foreign Ministry, flew to Tokyo on Sunday to partake in the ongoing negotiations with Japan.

“We will continue to communicate with the victims as we negotiate with Japan,” said a Foreign Ministry official on Monday. “It’s likely that when an agreement is reached on the Korean government’s proposal to Japan, it will first be announced by the Korean government. Then the Japanese government may follow with its response.”

BY ESTHER CHUNG, LEE YOUNG-HEE [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]