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Sun, May 28, 2023 | 15:49
Foreign Affairs
Abe's sincerity questioned
"아베 위안부 합의 '남는장사'"…추가사죄요구 차단·선거 호재
Posted : 2015-12-30 17:09
Updated : 2015-12-30 22:31
Yi Whan-woo
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Two Japanese daily newspapers published Wednesday carry front-page reports about Korea's landmark agreement with Japan over Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II. On the right, the Sankei Shimbun reported that Korea allegedly reneged on its promise to give up its bid for UNESCO world documentary heritage of Tokyo's wartime sex slavery despite the deal. The Asahi Shimbun, on the left, reported that Korea agreed to remove a statue of a Korean girl across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul as a precondition to receive 1 billion yen in compensation to help the former Korean sex slaves. / Yonhap
Two Japanese daily newspapers published Wednesday carry front-page reports about Korea's landmark agreement with Japan over Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II. On the right, the Sankei Shimbun reported that Korea allegedly reneged on its promise to give up its bid for UNESCO world documentary heritage of Tokyo's wartime sex slavery despite the deal. The Asahi Shimbun, on the left, reported that Korea agreed to remove a statue of a Korean girl across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul as a precondition to receive 1 billion yen in compensation to help the former Korean sex slaves. / Yonhap

By Yi Whan-woo

Two Japanese daily newspapers published Wednesday carry front-page reports about Korea's landmark agreement with Japan over Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II. On the right, the Sankei Shimbun reported that Korea allegedly reneged on its promise to give up its bid for UNESCO world documentary heritage of Tokyo's wartime sex slavery despite the deal. The Asahi Shimbun, on the left, reported that Korea agreed to remove a statue of a Korean girl across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul as a precondition to receive 1 billion yen in compensation to help the former Korean sex slaves. / Yonhap
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters after South Korea and Japan reached an agreement on "comfort women" in Tokyo, Monday. / Yonhap
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made it clear that he will no longer apologize to Korea over "comfort women," casting doubts on the sincerity of his related apology made at landmark agreement between the two nations, Monday.

Abe said all issues concerning Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II are over under the deal struck between the foreign ministers of the two nations in Seoul, according to Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper, Wednesday.

He cited that he offered a "heartfelt apology" to elderly Korean victims as one of the key points of the "final and irreversible" resolution to settle the historical dispute, which was the biggest obstacle to break a diplomatic impasse.

Abe added any sex slavery-related issues should not now be brought up between Korea and Japan regardless of any diplomatic circumstances, including a summit.

"It will be the end of Korea as a member of the international community if it breaks its promise," Abe was quoted as saying by the Sankei Shimbun.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se warned Wednesday that Tokyo should refrain from using "any words and behavior that can be misunderstood," claiming the deal between him and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida was the result of "hard labor."

"It's crucial to implement our agreement faithfully and promptly, and I hope it will lead to a cycle of mutual trust between the two nations."

Meanwhile, analysts speculated that Tokyo's main interest at the agreement was to prevent its global image being further tarnished by its wartime atrocities, not healing emotional wounds of former Korean sex slaves.

Koreans accounted for a majority of the "comfort women," a euphemistic term for those who were coerced into sexual servitude at front-line brothels run by the Japanese Army during World War II.

Condemnation continues at weekly rally
2015-12-30 17:16  |  National

"It should be noted that Abe, an ultra nationalist, was extremely concerned with clearing up any problems that can make his country a violator of international women's rights," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University.

Park also said Abe was politically-motivated when he repeatedly stressed that the future generations of Japan should not be held accountable for its wartime past.

"Japan is seeking to win international recognition in its leadership, and it knows too well that its violation of women's rights has been a burden to underscore other positive aspects of its history worldwide."

Two Japanese daily newspapers published Wednesday carry front-page reports about Korea's landmark agreement with Japan over Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II. On the right, the Sankei Shimbun reported that Korea allegedly reneged on its promise to give up its bid for UNESCO world documentary heritage of Tokyo's wartime sex slavery despite the deal. The Asahi Shimbun, on the left, reported that Korea agreed to remove a statue of a Korean girl across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul as a precondition to receive 1 billion yen in compensation to help the former Korean sex slaves. / Yonhap
The statue of a girl, a symbol of Japan's sexual slavery, is surrounded by activists and citizens during the weekly rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Wednesday. The participants oppose the agreement between Korea and Japan, according to which the government will consult with civic groups over the possibility of relocating the statue. / Yonhap


Lee Myeon-woo, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, voiced a similar view, saying that Japan is citing the agreement at the foreign ministerial talks as a means to pressure Korea over the issue.

One of the key points states that the two nations will refrain from blaming each other on the global stage, including U.N. meetings, over Tokyo's sex slavery.

Kishida then said Korea is not expected to join forces with China to win UNESCO recognition for their joint documentary records concerning Japan's state-perpetrated sex crimes.

The Chinese government offered to cooperate with Korea in October to register their collection of documentary records that hold details of "comfort women" as a UNESCO world documentary heritage.

Other Japanese media also reported Wednesday that it will be seen as a violation of the agreement if Korea does not remove the statue of a Korean girl situated across the street from the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul.

The statue symbolizes the war crimes perpetrated against Korean "comfort women."

"According to those media, Japan will claim that it has the right to refuse to offer 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) to support surviving victims if the statue is not removed," Lee said.

"The agreement Monday was aimed at healing emotional wounds of the victims, but such a claim does not help the victims at all. And you can see that Tokyo's main interest was to improve its national brand image."




"아베 위안부 합의 '남는장사'"…추가사죄요구 차단·선거 호재

'親아베 신문' 산케이 '사죄 숙명에서 해방', 마이니치 '선거 도움'
NYT '아베보다 박근혜 대통령에 더 큰 후폭풍'

한국과 일본 정부의 일본군 위안부 문제 합의로 일본이 얻을 게 작지 않다는 분석이 현지 언론들로부터 나오고 있다.

아베 정권과 '찰떡궁합'을 보여온 산케이(産經)신문은 젊은 시절부터 20년 가까이 일본군 위안부 문제에 달라붙어 온 아베 신조(安倍晋三) 일본 총리가 어떤 계산에 따라 한국과의 협의를 서둘렀는지를 분석하는 기사를 30일 실었다.

이 신문은 아베 총리의 페이스북에 '실망했다', '더는 믿을 수 없다'는 등의 반발이 이어지는 등 지지기반인 보수층의 비판이 있지만 이를 예상하고도 아베 총리가 합의를 단행한 이유를 전후 70년 담화에서 찾을 수 있다고 소개했다.

전후 70년 담화에서 아베 총리는 '일본에서는 전후 태어난 세대가 바야흐로 인구의 80%를 넘었다. 그 전쟁과는 아무런 상관없이 우리 아이들과 손자, 그다음 세대의 아이들에게 계속 사죄의 숙명을 짊어지게 해서는 안 된다'고 말한 바 있다.

아베 총리는 28일 외교장관 회담 후에 '한국이 위안부 문제를 다시 문제 삼지 않는다는 약속을 할 수 있다면 아이들을 사죄의 숙명으로부터 해방시킬 수 있다'며 주변에 이번 합의의 의의를 강조했다.

따라서 아베 총리 주변에서는 '한국의 입을 다물게 하려고 총리가 도박에 나섰다'는 평가를 한다고 산케이는 전했다.

아베 정권에 비판적 시각을 유지해 온 마이니치(每日)신문은 이번 합의가 내년 여름 참의원 선거에서 아베 총리에게 호재가 될 것이라는 분석을 소개했다.

우파 진영에서 이번 합의가 매국이라는 비판이 나오고 있지만, 그간 아베 총리의 역사 인식을 질타해 온 무라야마 도미이치(村山富市) 전 일본 총리가 '해결 전망이 나와서 잘 됐다'고 긍정적인 반응을 내놨고 야당도 의미를 부여했기 때문이다.

총리 관저의 한 간부는 '총리가 신경 쓴 것은 지지를 얻어 온 '오른쪽'으로부터의 비판이었다. 그래도 대다수 국민은 지지해 줄 것으로 믿고 합의로 나갔다'고 말했다.

연립 여당인 공명당의 한 간부는 '틀림없이 국민이 받아들인다'며 긍정적 효과를 낼 것이라는 기대를 표명했다.

뉴욕타임스(NYT)도 위안부 합의로 양국 정상 모두 국수주의자들의 거센 반발에 직면했다면서도 아베 총리보다는 박근혜 대통령이 더 큰 후폭풍을 맞고 있다고 평가했다.

NYT는 한일 정상이 양국의 '역사 전쟁'에서 그동안 보였던 강경한 입장에서 선회한 것에 대한 일종의 '배신감'이 필연적으로 따라나오는 가운데 '박 대통령이 아베 총리보다 더 맹렬한 반발에 직면했다'고 강조했다.

NYT는 또 양국 지도자의 '불평등한 정치 리스크'의 이유로 위안부 피해 할머니들이 협상 과정에서 목소리를 내지 못했다며 반발하는 상황을 거론했다.

그러나 한국에서 이번 합의에 대한 반발이 이어지고 그 영향으로 한국이 '다시 문제를 제기하는' 상황이 펼쳐지면 아베 정권에 불똥이 튈 수 있다는 관측도 있다.

일본 언론은 중국의 해양 진출로 위협이 커지는 가운데 일본군 위안부 문제를 타결해 한국과의 관계를 회복하는 것은 안보 측면에서 자국에 도움이 된다고 보고 있다. (연합뉴스)
Emailyistory@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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