South Korea announces plan to compensate victims of Japan's colonial-era forced labor

MADRID, 6 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The South Korean government has announced on Monday an agreement reached with the Japanese Executive for compensation for the forced labor imposed by Japanese imperialism during the colonial era of the first half of the 20th century, a measure that brings the two neighbors closer in improving their relations.

The compensation will be made through a Seoul-backed public foundation, the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization, rather than direct payment from responsible Japanese companies, thus compensating more than a dozen Koreans who won legal battles.

The foundation, affiliated with the Interior Ministry, will collect "voluntary" donations from the private sector. The government is expected to seek donations from companies that benefited from the 1965 bilateral treaty aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations, the Yonhap news agency reports.

"Furthermore, in order to remember the pain and suffering of the victims of forced labor and to progressively pass it on to future generations, the foundation plans to actively seek measures to further substantiate and expand victim commemoration and education, research and research projects. ", says a statement from the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

The South Korean Supreme Court ordered Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2018 to pay compensation for victims of forced labor during the time of Japan's colonial rule over Korea, between 1910 and 1945. The two companies will contribute, albeit indirectly, to this new fund with contributions to the Japanese employers or donations.

The proposal does not satisfy the victims, but the two governments hope to be able to resolve this hindrance that has clouded bilateral relations between the two countries for decades.

For this reason, Yoon Suk Yeol's cabinet has stated that these measures "exceed the unfortunate history of the past and are based on reconciliation and good-neighborly friendship and cooperation."

"The Government, together with Japan, our closest neighbor who shares the universal values ​​of liberal democracy, the market economy, the rule of law and Human Rights, in the midst of the recent dire situation on the Korean peninsula, in the region and in the world, seeks to promote common interests, such as peace and prosperity," the diplomatic portfolio said in its letter.

In recent months there has been a push to strengthen ties between Seoul and Tokyo under the trilateral security partnership with the United States.