Regarding the issue of "recruitment" during the Pacific War, the Korean government announced on the 6th that a foundation under the Korean government will pay the plaintiffs on behalf of the Japanese company that was ordered to pay compensation by the court. We are making final adjustments in the direction of announcing.
Regarding the issue of "recruitment", the Korean government proposed in January this year that an existing foundation under the Korean government would pay the plaintiffs instead of the Japanese company that was ordered to pay compensation in court. made it clear that he was considering
Regarding this plan, officials in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Japanese and South Korean governments have held repeated discussions, and at the end of last month, Foreign Minister Park Jin met with the plaintiffs in the lawsuit and explained the government's policy. , and requests for understanding have been made.
Under these circumstances, the South Korean government is making final adjustments to announce a solution on the 6th.
South Korean media reports that the foundation will take over the payment, and that it will be in line with the plan announced in January, and the Yoon Seong-yeol administration is showing a strong desire to improve Japan-Korea relations. , the work of formulating a solution is nearing its end.
In addition, the Korean media assumes that Japan's Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) and the Korean economic organization Zenkeiren (National Federation of Economic Organizations) will use it for scholarships for international students in both countries as an alternative to payments to plaintiffs by Japanese companies. It is reported that they are considering setting up a new fund.
"Recruitment" Issue History
In 1965, when Japan and South Korea normalized diplomatic relations, the Japan-Korea Claims Agreement clearly stated that "the issue of claims was completely and finally resolved." I believe the issue has been resolved.
However, in 2012, the Supreme Court of South Korea ruled that "individual claims have not been extinguished" over "recruitment", and a series of rulings ordered Japanese companies to compensate.
Then, in 2018, when the Supreme Court of South Korea made its first judgment ordering compensation to Japanese companies, the plaintiffs petitioned the district court to allow the Japanese companies to seize and sell their assets in South Korea.
The Moon Jae-in administration at that time took the position of respecting judicial decisions based on the principle of the separation of powers, and proceeded with the procedures for the “cash” of assets of Japanese companies in South Korea.
In response, the Japanese government criticized the South Korean government's response as "violating international law." , I strongly urged that the Japanese side take measures to avoid "cash" in an acceptable form.
Under these circumstances, in 2019, the Japanese government took measures to exclude South Korea from the list of preferential export control countries, citing security concerns as South Korea's trade control system was inadequate.
The South Korean side objected that it was a retaliatory measure over the issue of "recruitment" and announced that it would cancel the "GSOMIA" = military information comprehensive protection agreement between the two countries.
Despite the opposition of the United States and other factors, the agreement was eventually continued, but relations between Japan and South Korea were said to be at their worst since the end of World War II.
However, when South Korean President Yun Seong-yeol took office in May last year, he expressed his willingness to improve relations with Japan and took the stance of trying to solve the problem before the "cash" was carried out.
In November, Prime Minister Kishida and President Yoon held a formal Japan-ROK summit meeting for the first time in about three years.
Then, in January this year, South Korea announced that an existing foundation under the Korean government would pay the plaintiffs on behalf of the Japanese company.
In response to this, Foreign Minister Hayashi met with Foreign Minister Park Jin in Germany last month, and Foreign Ministry Vice-Minister Mori met with First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyung-dong in Washington. The exchanges between the governments of Japan and South Korea became lively, such as exchanging opinions on this proposal when the meeting was held.
The Japanese government's response has been "settled in the Japan-Korea Claims Agreement"
The Japanese government has consistently taken the position that the 1965 Japan-Korea Claims Agreement had already resolved the issue of "recruitment" during the Pacific War.
For this reason, it is expected that if the South Korean foundation pays the plaintiffs on behalf of the Japanese company that was ordered to pay compensation in the court, it will not contradict Japan's position and will be accepted within the government. is.
However, even in this case, our stance is that we will not allow the Korean foundation to seek reimbursement from the Japanese company later.
On the other hand, there is a view within the Japanese government that ``it cannot be denied that Japanese companies will voluntarily donate''.
In addition, based on the fact that the South Korean government is requesting "sincere measures" from the Japanese side when presenting solutions, the Japanese government has expressed remorse and apology for its colonial rule and aggression, including past Prime Minister Statements. It is also being considered to express a position to inherit the.
In addition, if the relationship between Japan and South Korea improves, the government will resume "shuttle diplomacy," in which leaders visit each other's countries. There is also a proposal to review measures such as excluding from countries subject to preferential treatment.
There is a deep-rooted voice within the Japanese government that ``South Korea has a history of not abiding by intergovernmental agreements, so it cannot be predicted.''