Japan and South Korea have taken an important step in resolving a colonial-era dispute between them over wartime labor compensation and other unresolved bilateral issues that have long plagued political and trade ties between the two neighbors.
According to a Reuters report, South Korea said on Monday that its people who were forced to work under Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945 would receive compensation from their own companies, rather than demanding payments from Japanese companies that Japan would lift export restrictions on certain technologies to South Korea and also agreed to resume mutual visits by the two countries’ leaders.
Under a plan announced by Secretary of State Park Jin, South Korea will compensate former forced laborers through its existing public foundation, which is funded by private sector companies, the report said.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida welcomed the offer and said he would work closely with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Reuters reported.
However, the proposal has drawn backlash from some victims and from South Korea’s main opposition party, which has said it favors Japan.
The Japan Times reported that Tokyo previously said that if Seoul found a solution to its wartime labor problem, it would support an apology to its neighbors for past abuses. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated that position during a meeting of the House of Lords Budget Committee on Monday morning, according to the report.
The move paves the way for President Yoon to travel to Tokyo for the March summit with Prime Minister Kishida, and could also result in Yoon being invited to the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, according to the report.
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