Sex slavery agreement off to rough start

By Kim Bo-eun

A preparation committee was launched Tuesday to carry out the controversial Korea-Japan verbal agreement to found an organization to support women forced into sexual slavery by Japan before and during World War II.

The committee, however, did not have the endorsement of the former sex slaves who reject the deal. Also disputes over the financial support Japan plans to provide remain unresolved.

The committee formation followed the agreement made between the two governments, Dec. 28, to put the long-disputed issue to rest, with Tokyo pledging to provide 1 billion yen (10.7 billion won) for the victims.

Kim Tae-hyeon, an emeritus professor at Sungshin Women’s University, heads the 11-member committee comprised of scholars and government officials from the foreign affairs and gender equality ministries.

“The average age of the remaining victims is 89.4. Time is running out and we need to take action before they pass away,” Kim said in a press conference at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in downtown Seoul.

“We will communicate closely with victims to provide them with what they need to heal their scars and recover their dignity.”

The preparation committee is planning an official launch of the foundation, which will decide how the 1 billion yen fund will be used, next month.

Kim, however, drew protests from civic groups and victims by saying that the 1 billion yen was “healing money,” rather than compensation.

“The Japanese government is providing the money to heal the victims’ pain and restore their honor, so I don’t see the money as compensation,” she said.

Her comment contradicts the Korean government’s stance of regarding the money as compensation as the Japanese government has apologized for its wrongdoing.

The definition of the fund is critical because it can determine whether the Japanese government accepted its responsibility, according to the victims and civic groups.

The victims claim the Japanese government took moral responsibility but not legal responsibility. They say the 1 billion yen is merely a donation for the victims and not legal compensation.

Victims and civic groups have continued to voice their opposition to the government proceeding with the agreement, saying they cannot recognize its validity.

A group of university students hosted a press conference in front of the museum, denouncing the government for excluding victims’ opinions in making and carrying out the deal.

Last Thursday, an association of civic groups also hosted a press conference, urging the 20th National Assembly to nullify the agreement and calling for renegotiations.

“Who can call the agreement, which the victims have called invalid, as being final and irreversible?” the association said in a statement.

In March, the victims filed a petition with the Constitutional Court over the agreement.

Meanwhile, with regards to the comfort woman statue in front of the Japanese Embassy, which Tokyo requested be removed on the sidelines of the agreement, Kim reaffirmed the government’s stance that the 1 billion yen fund and statue were separate issues.