South Korea’s opposition accused government of capitulating to Japan
2023.03.06 04:54
South Korea’s opposition accused government of capitulating to Japan
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – In an effort to repair strained ties that have hampered trade and cooperation between the two nations, South Korea announced on Monday that its businesses would compensate those who were forced to work during Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945.
The proposal was well-received in Tokyo, but some victims and the main opposition party in South Korea immediately objected, accusing the government of bowing to Japan.
Relations between the two crucial allies of the United States have been beset for years by disagreements regarding forced labor and Japanese military brothels for women. However, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has made efforts to improve the relationship.
Foreign Minister Park Jin stated at a briefing that under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced laborers through an existing public foundation that is funded by private sector businesses.
Park stated, “We need to end the vicious cycle for the national interest, for the people.” He added, “The soured South Korea-Japan relations should not be neglected any longer.” He stated that he expects a sincere response from Japan, which might include “implementing its previous public statements expressing remorse and apology.”
Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, stated that he would collaborate closely with Yoon and that he welcomed the proposal.
According to Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japanese businesses will not be required to make any payments under the plan, but they will still be able to donate if they so choose.
He stated, “We welcome this as a step that returns healthy relations between Japan and South Korea.”
The United States is concerned about the state of relations between the two countries because it wants to unite its allies against China’s growing power and the threats posed by North Korea’s growing missile and nuclear arsenal.
“A groundbreaking new chapter of cooperation and partnership between two of the United States’ closest allies,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement, and “a critical step to forge a future for the Korean and Japanese people that is safer, more secure, and more prosperous.”
According to a source close to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the Japanese government, the United States has been urging both countries to reconcile, but Yoon’s push for reconciliation was primarily prompted by the geopolitical threat posed by North Korea.
After South Korea’s Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Japanese companies to compensate former forced laborers, relations fell to their lowest point in decades. These cases have been won by fifteen South Koreans, but no one has been compensated.
Hayashi stated that his government’s stance had not changed despite Japan’s assertion that the compensation issue was settled by a treaty signed in 1965.
Due to the fact that Seoul’s proposal did not include contributions from Japanese businesses, including those that had been ordered to pay reparations by South Korean courts, it sparked opposition from victims and their families when it was first presented in January.
As Park made the announcement, about a dozen outside protesters staged a demonstration.
At a separate event, representatives of some of the victims stated, “Today’s humiliating resolution is a result of (the South Korean government’s) consistently low posture towards the Japanese government.”
The 15 plaintiffs have indicated that they will reject the government’s plan, paving the way for additional legal battles.
One of the victims, Yang Geum-deok, told reporters, “It’s not a proper apology.” When there are actual wrongdoers, it should never be like this.”
The plan was criticized as “submissive diplomacy” by the Democratic Party, the main opposition party.
In a statement, the party’s spokesperson An Ho-young said, “It’s a day of shame.” The Japanese government was able to remove a problem by having the grace to repeat previous statements, and Japanese companies involved in war crimes received indulgence without even budge.”
KT&G and Korea Electric Power are among the South Korean businesses (NYSE:) Corp (KEPCO) and other businesses that benefited from the treaty that Japan and South Korea signed in 1965
According to KT&G, the company intends to faithfully cooperate in the implementation of the agreements and is keeping a close eye on the discussions regarding compensation for forced labor victims. KEPCO promised to investigate the matter.
(NYSE:) POSCO Holdings stated that it would consider ways to support the government’s announcement’s intent.
Park responded that both Japanese and South Korean businesses were considering a plan to make voluntary payments when asked if they would contribute financially to the settlement.
According to unnamed government sources, Seoul and Tokyo had tentatively agreed to establish a separate “future youth fund” to sponsor scholarships with funds from both countries’ businesses, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp., two of the businesses ordered to compensate wartime laborers by South Korean courts, declined to comment on the agreement, citing their long-held belief that the 1965 treaty had solved the problem.
In 2019, Tokyo imposed restrictions on the export of high-tech materials used in smartphone displays and chips to South Korea, prompting Seoul to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Despite Hayashi’s assertion that the dispute over forced labor is distinct from the export restrictions, the trade ministries of both countries announced on Monday that South Korea would suspend its WTO complaint while the two sides negotiate to restore trade to its pre-2019 status.
