By Yi Whan-woo
Korea and Japan held another round of talks in Seoul, Wednesday, discussing how to implement their historic agreement reached on Dec. 28 to help former wartime sex slaves.
Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two sides discussed follow-up measures to last year's accord aimed at resolving disputes over Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II.
Wednesday's meeting followed working-level talks held in Tokyo on March 22.
The two Asian neighbors then agreed to push for the early establishment of a foundation in Seoul to help the former sex slaves, in line with the "final and irrevocable" accord in December.
Chung Byung-won, the director general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Northeast Asian Affairs Bureau, leads the Seoul delegation.
The Japanese side has been headed by Kimihiro Ishikane, director general of the Japanese foreign ministry's Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau.
"It is seen that the two countries are picking up the pace to faithfully carry out the Dec. 28 agreement," a diplomatic source said, on condition of anonymity. "Seoul is believed to be working on setting up a committee to prepare for the establishment of the foundation."
On Tuesday, Seoul's First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and Tokyo's Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki promised to speed up efforts to implement last year's deal. Their meeting was on the sidelines of the three-way vice ministerial talks involving U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
In the Dec. 28 accord, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered an apology over the historic state-perpetrated sex crimes.
It also promised to offer 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) to set up a foundation to help the dwindling number of former Korean sex slaves.
Tokyo's sincerity, however, has been in doubt because a string of officials have claimed that a statue symbolizing comfort women would be removed as a condition for the country's 1 billion yen contribution.
The statue was installed across the street from the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul in 2011. It has been a bone of contention between Korea and Japan in recent years, interfering with diplomatic cooperation.
Koreans accounted for most of the estimated 200,000 comfort women, which also included Chinese, Southeast Asians and some Europeans.
Korea and Japan held another round of talks in Seoul, Wednesday, discussing how to implement their historic agreement reached on Dec. 28 to help former wartime sex slaves.
Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two sides discussed follow-up measures to last year's accord aimed at resolving disputes over Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II.
Wednesday's meeting followed working-level talks held in Tokyo on March 22.
The two Asian neighbors then agreed to push for the early establishment of a foundation in Seoul to help the former sex slaves, in line with the "final and irrevocable" accord in December.
Chung Byung-won, the director general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Northeast Asian Affairs Bureau, leads the Seoul delegation.
The Japanese side has been headed by Kimihiro Ishikane, director general of the Japanese foreign ministry's Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau.
"It is seen that the two countries are picking up the pace to faithfully carry out the Dec. 28 agreement," a diplomatic source said, on condition of anonymity. "Seoul is believed to be working on setting up a committee to prepare for the establishment of the foundation."
On Tuesday, Seoul's First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and Tokyo's Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki promised to speed up efforts to implement last year's deal. Their meeting was on the sidelines of the three-way vice ministerial talks involving U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
In the Dec. 28 accord, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered an apology over the historic state-perpetrated sex crimes.
It also promised to offer 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) to set up a foundation to help the dwindling number of former Korean sex slaves.
Tokyo's sincerity, however, has been in doubt because a string of officials have claimed that a statue symbolizing comfort women would be removed as a condition for the country's 1 billion yen contribution.
The statue was installed across the street from the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul in 2011. It has been a bone of contention between Korea and Japan in recent years, interfering with diplomatic cooperation.
Koreans accounted for most of the estimated 200,000 comfort women, which also included Chinese, Southeast Asians and some Europeans.
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