(LEAD) S. Korean wartime forced labor victims oppose 'proposed' compensation plan

All News 17:18 December 26, 2022

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout with victims' call; ADDS photo)

SEOUL/TOKYO Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- A group of South Korean wartime forced labor victims on Monday voiced a strong opposition to a "proposed" resolution to the compensation issue, which they say lacks the direct involvement of related Japanese firms, according to their legal representatives and other supporters.

The move came as the South Korean and Japanese governments had another round of working-level consultations on ways to resolve the thorny issue of how to compensate the Korean victims of forced labor during World War II, which has been a longtime sticking point in bilateral relations.

The victims said they have been notified by Seoul's foreign ministry of "what is considered as a resolution," which is to compensate them in use of local corporate donations without the participation and formal apology of such Japanese companies as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Inc. or Nippon Steel Corp.

In 2018, they won their legal battle against Japanese companies in a landmark South Korean Supreme Court ruling ordering those firms to pay compensation. They made clear they are opposed to the ministry's alleged idea.

A group of people representing and supporting South Korean wartime forced labor victims holds a news conference in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on Dec. 26, 2022. (Yonhap)

The group said such a resolution "excluding the accused companies responsible for compensation" is not even worth being discussed as it held a news conference in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul.

In Tokyo, meanwhile, Seo Min-jung, director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at South Korea's foreign ministry, met with her Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, for talks mainly on the issue. The two previously met on Nov. 24 in Japan.

Speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity after the session, a South Korean government official said negotiations on the matter have not ended yet, adding Seoul is still pushing for "contributions" in principle by related Japanese firms. The official stopped short of elaborating.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to seek a prompt settlement of the issue during their summit held in Cambodia last month.