South Korea seeks to tackle the issue of forced labor with Japan

As Seoul seeks better ties with Tokyo to fight North Korean threats, South Korea said Thursday that it was exploring compensating victims of Japan’s forced wartime labor without the participation of Japanese corporations.

South Korea and Japan are both important regional security partners of the United States, although bilateral relations have been strained for decades due to Japan’s cruel colonial occupation over the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

According to data from Seoul, around 780,000 Koreans were conscripted into forced labor by Japan during the 35-year occupation, excluding women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops.

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During a public hearing on Thursday, Seo Min-jong, a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, proposed that victims get compensation through a third party.

According to local media, the fund under consideration would utilize contributions from South Korean corporations — who benefited from a Japanese reparations package — without the participation of Japanese companies.

The notion, however, has been met with vehement opposition from victim organizations, who want immediate compensation and an apology from the Japanese firms implicated.

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In 2018, the Supreme Court of Seoul ordered some Japanese corporations to pay restitution for forced wartime labor, resulting in a victory for the plaintiffs on this subject.

“Please explain why the government is rushing this proposal that the victims oppose,” said Lim Jae-sung, an attorney for the victims.

The public hearing occurs as the conservative government of Yoon Suk-yeol tries to strengthen ties between Seoul and Tokyo, citing a growing security threat from North Korea.

KCNA also states that Kim has set new priorities for North Korea’s military.

His administration is attempting to resolve the decades-long issue with Korea’s former colonizer.

Tokyo contends that a 1965 treaty, which saw the two countries restore diplomatic ties with a reparation package of approximately $800 million in grants and low-interest loans, settled all claims between the two during the 35-year period of colonial authority.