Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
EXCLUSIVE S. Korea to propose establishing joint funds for wartime laborers
National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang speaks during a meeting with floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties at his office at the National Assembly, Friday. Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang is planning to submit contentious bills to end historical disputes with Japan.
They include a plan to establish joint funds to “compensate” forced labor victims in Korea and overseas, and soldiers, funded by Korean and Japanese companies and civilians.
According to the bills, copies of which were obtained by The Korea Times, Friday, Moon has notified Japanese politicians as Seoul and Tokyo agreed to initiate an “exit-strategy” in resolving bilateral friction that has continued since July after Japan's decision to impose export curbs on industrial materials crucial to South Korean manufacturing industries at the coming summit between the leaders of the two countries.
But the bills are expected to face opposition from civic groups as they don't mandate legal responsibilities for the Japanese government over its past wrongdoings against South Koreans during World War II.
Sources said Moon is gathering signatures from lawmakers to submit the two proposals by Monday.
The idea to create the joint funds was initially inspired by Germany's Memory, Responsibility and Future Foundation. Moon is aiming to get financial contributions from South Korean and Japanese companies, as well as individuals, but “voluntarily.” One noticeable point is that the fund would be managed by Seoul and Tokyo.
The bills also include a plan to compensate wartime forced labor victims including those who worked overseas in Japanese factories, such as in Sahalin, and soldiers and military employees.
The bills, if passed, are expected to settle the compensation issue in the form of a civil lawsuit. By law, a bill needs more than 10 signatures to be submitted at the National Assembly.
Speaker Moon took the initiative in a move to resolve the deadlock between Seoul and Tokyo created by the Supreme Court's ruling ordering Japanese firms to compensate forced laborers last year, which ended up creating diplomatic and economic disputes between the countries.
However, the suggestions have been criticized by human rights organizations as the proposals do not include Japan's official apology and Japan's legal responsibility for compensating victims for its crimes.
On Friday, civic organizations dealing with the forced labor issue also reportedly released a joint statement saying that Moon's bills free the Japanese government and companies from accepting legal responsibility for wartime crimes.
It is largely expected that the bills will be criticized by human rights organizations as they still don't order Japanese firms to give mandatory compensation to victims.
Previous draft bills didn't include workers overseas and soldiers and military workers. The bills planned to create the fund using the remaining money in the now-defunct “Reconciliation and Healing Foundation” for wartime sex slavery victims under Imperial Japan. It is likely that the bills reflected some opinions from civic organizations.
The Japanese side is known to be waiting to see if Moon's bills can be passed as they are favorable for Japanese companies.
Takeo Kawamura, former Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary, and also a member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and a senior member of the Japan-South Korea Parliamentarians' Union, said Wednesday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's close aide Takaya Imai has seen the bills as a way to quickly mend the worsening bilateral relations.