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Sun, March 7, 2021 | 02:09
Diplomacy
Gov't lambasted for cutting support for comfort women
윤병세 "위안부기록물 등재 예산 삭감, 한일합의와 무관"
Posted : 2016-06-26 16:48
Updated : 2016-06-27 10:53
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By Yi Whan-woo

The South Korean government has cut spending on some projects related to Japan's wartime sex slavery, drawing criticism from the surviving victims as well as civic activists.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family stopped funding a civic campaign aimed at submitting documentary records on victims of sex slavery worldwide to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

It also plans to cut its spending by 31 percent next year on supporting the former comfort women and their advocates, officials here said.

The budget cut appears to be in line with an agreement with Tokyo last year to "finally and irrevocably" resolve disputes on the issue.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the budget cut has nothing to do with the Seoul-Tokyo agreement, but there are many signs showing that the Korean government is trying to keep the issue at arm's length.

The gender ministry admitted that it decided to pull its annual funding of the Women's Human Rights Commission, which has been working with international groups to gain UNESCO heritage status for the records on sex slavery.

The ministry insisted that the decision was made after consulting officials at the Cultural Heritage Administration and other experts in October 2015.

Fourteen civic organizations from nine countries, including China, Taiwan and the Netherlands are now working together for UNESCO recognition of over 2,700 documents on comfort women. Some 600 pieces, such as written testimonies, photos and drawings, are from Korea.

The 14 organizations jointly formed the International Committee for Joint Nomination of Documents on the Japanese Military Comfort Women and submitted their bid together on May 31.

The ministry funded the campaign for two years ― providing 30 million won in 2014 and 460 million won in 2015.

"We learned that funding would be seen as government interference in a civic campaign and may give UNESCO a negative impression in its review of candidates," a ministry official said on condition of anonymity. "The campaign will not require as much money as in the past."

The gender ministry also said it will spend 2.8 million won next year, down 31 percent from this year, to help former sex slaves.

An Il-hwon, who runs a shelter for the surviving victims, criticized the government.

"It's sheer nonsense aimed at covering up the government's move to pull out from the fight against Japan," he said. "Holding seminars and public promotions even after submitting a bid is critical and we can't continue campaigning unless we get more financial support."

Han Hye-in, a team manager of the international committee's Korea secretariat, voiced a similar view.

"It's true that the government funded major parts of the campaign," she said. "But it would have been better if we received support in the future as well."

Han said her colleagues have been using their own money to fund the campaign.

In October, the Chinese government offered to work together with Korea to register their collection of documentary records that hold details of Japan's wartime sex crimes on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

However, Seoul rejected the offer, citing possible negative impact on bilateral ties with Tokyo amid growing military threats from North Korea.

The register is a UNESCO program aimed at preserving and administering a collection of historically valuable records, including documents, books, letters, photos and video footage.


윤병세 "위안부기록물 등재 예산 삭감, 한일합의와 무관"

윤병세 외교부 장관은 24일 정부의 일제강점기 위안부 기록물 유네스코 세계기록유산 등재사업 예산 삭감 방침이 지난해 한·일 위안부 문제 합의 때문이라는 의혹에 대해 '위안부 합의와는 무관하다'고 말했다.

윤 장관은 이날 국회 외교통일위원회 전체회의에 참석, 김경협 더불어민주당 의원의 '위안부 기록물 유네스코 등재사업 예산 삭감과 관련한 외교부 공식 입장은 무엇이냐'는 질문에 이같이 답했다.

윤 장관은 '(유네스코 기록물 등재사업은) 여성가족부 관할 사안이어서 외교부에서는 구체적인 답변을 드리기는 어렵다'며 '여러 이유에 의해 민간 차원에서 이를 추진해야 하기 때문에 그런(예산 삭감) 판단을 한 것으로 안다'고 말했다. 

윤 장관은 또 '유네스코 등재 문제는 관련한 민간단체 15개가 신청해 이미 유네스코에 가 있는 상태니, 결과를 지켜보는 게 좋을 것 같다'며 '위안부 합의와 무관한 문제에 대해서 (위안부 합의와) 관련짓는 건 바람직하지 않다'고 덧붙였다.

그러나 오후 회의에서도 위안부 문제는 지속적으로 제기됐다.

심재권 외통위원장도 '우리는 위안부 합의문에 대해 잘못됐다 얘기하고 재협상을 당론으로 추구하고 있다'며 '여가부가 위안부 기록물 유네스코 등재 예산을 삭감한것도 지난 협상의 결과로 본다'고 지적했다.

윤 장관은 중국 어선의 불법 조업 문제와 관련해선 '다음 달 중 한·중 양국 간 협력회의에서 이 문제를 적극 제기해 강력한 단속조치를 만들 계획'이라고 밝혔다.

그는 '그동안 (한·중 간) 합의 사항이 있었으나 그 내용이 최근 충실히 이행되지 못했다'며 '양측이 단속조치 협력강화 방안을 만들어갈 계획이다. 불법어선 문제는 더 개선된 방안이 필요하다고 생각한다'고 말했다. (연합뉴스)
Emailyistory@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
Seoul mayor committed to registering 'comfort women' in UNESCO archive
Mayor Park Won-soon said the city will work to put data related with the “comfort women” on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, “if the central government will not.” ...
Civic groups ask UNESCO to list comfort women records
An alliance of civic groups from eight countries has asked UNESCO to list records of Japan’s war-time sexual enslavement of women on its Memory of the World Register. ...
Korea-Japan deal on 'comfort women' reached out of 'self-interest'
South Korea and Japan reached the landmark agreement on the "comfort women" issue of wartime sexual slavery out of their own "self-interest" amid a need for cooperation to cope wit...









 
 
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