Foreign ministry criticized for stance on Japan's removal of forced labor victims' memorial stone

By Lee Hyo-jin

• Published Jan 30, 2024 4:50 PM KST
• Updated Jan 31, 2024 4:07 PM KST

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in the hot seat for its lukewarm response to Japan's removal of a memorial stone that was dedicated to Korean victims of wartime forced labor, with observers criticizing the government's passive stance regarding Tokyo's attempt to distort or ignore historical events.

On Monday, the Gunma Prefecture Office in Japan initiated the removal process of the memorial stone, erected in 2004 to commemorate Koreans who were forced to work in the region during Japan's colonial rule. The demolition came after the Japanese Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in favor of the local government, refusing to renew the installation permit in 2014, citing "political remarks" made by a civic group during a commemoration ceremony held in 2012.

In response, the foreign ministry said, Tuesday, that it hopes the issue can be resolved in a way that does not undermine bilateral relations, reiterating its earlier stance.

"Given that this matter is also related to local authorities in Japan, our government anticipates, as we have mentioned earlier, that this issue can be resolved through communication between the two countries without undermining friendly relations," ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk said during a briefing.

"The passive response from our government aligns with its foreign policy prioritizing good relations with Japan. Apparently, the government does not want to cause a feud, even if that means turning a blind eye to Japan's distortion of history," said Yang Ki-ho, a professor of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University and former consul-general of Korea in Kobe.

But Yang commented that it may have been difficult for Seoul's foreign ministry to resolve the matter with its Japanese counterpart through diplomatic channels, as the decision was made by the Gunma municipal government, not the central government.

"But still, the ministry should have at least shown a robust response, expressing strong regret over the prefectural government's decision," he said.

Yang also expressed concerns that Seoul's tepid stance over historical issues may encourage Tokyo's ongoing efforts to submit the Sado mines for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The mine was used as a facility to produce war-related materials during World War II, where as many as 2,000 Koreans were forced to labor there, according to historical documents.

Rep. Yoo Gi-hong of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized the government's conciliatory approach.

"When our Supreme Court ruled against Japanese companies and ordered them to compensate forced labor victims in Japan in December last year, the Japanese government lodged protests. On the contrary, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has merely expressed a lukewarm statement about Japan's decision to remove the monument," he said in a statement, Monday.

"The Yoon Suk Yeol government should lodge strong protests, if it were not aligning with Japan's attempt to erase the history of forced labor."

The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese media outlet, also scrutinized the removal of the monument.

"It is not too late for Yamamoto (governor of Gunma Prefecture) to change his stance and seek a way to preserve the monument through fresh talks with the citizens' group. What the prefectural administration should do is to create an environment where open discussions about history can be held, not take the initiative in shutting down the forum for discussion," the newspaper wrote in its editorial, Tuesday.

During a press conference held earlier in the day, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi refrained from commenting on the matter, saying that the decision was made by the local government.