On the 6th, the government will officially announce a plan to reimburse the victims of forced labor in Korea for whom the Supreme Court’s judgment on compensation was finalized in 2018 with funds raised by the Foundation for Supporting Victims of Forced Labor in Japan (hereinfollowing referred to as the Foundation) under the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. It is a view.
In 2018, 15 victims received a final judgment for compensation from the Supreme Court, and the judgment to be paid to them is known to be regarding 4 billion won, including delayed interest.
To raise funds, it is expected that domestic companies that benefited from the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Settlement Agreement will contribute to the foundation first.
However, the government is said to be open to the participation of Japanese companies in the future.
The government is known for its position that it urges the defendant companies to respond in good faith as this is an area where Japanese companies can voluntarily contribute to the future of both countries.
When the Korean government announces a compensation plan, the Japanese government is also expected to announce a statement of reflection on the past.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to put forward a position that he will succeed the 1998 ‘Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration’, which contains the expression ‘severe remorse and apology from the heart’.
Through this solution, the governments of Korea and Japan seem to be trying to put an end to the issue of compensation for forced labor, which has caused relations to deteriorate for four years and four months since the Supreme Court ruling in 2018, and to enter the trajectory of full-scale normalization of relations.
However, victims’ groups are strongly opposed, saying that the government’s solution is to exempt the perpetrator from responsibility, so it is difficult to avoid a follow-up wave.
Victim groups will hold press conferences in Seoul and Gwangju on the followingnoon of the 6th to reveal their position on the government’s solution, followed by a candlelight vigil at the Seoul City Hall Plaza.
