By Park Si-soo
Staff reporter
Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has agreed to open negotiations to discuss belated compensation for Korean women who were forced to work for the company during the Japanese colonial era, a local civic group said Thursday.
If the negotiation is successful, it will set a precedent for Koreans forced to engage in labor during the period get proper compensation.
According to a Gwangju-based civic group that helps female victims who worked for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries during colonial rule, the Japanese firm has agreed to negotiations with the organization.
The group said its members visited headquarters of the Japan's iconic firm in Tokyo last month and urged management officials to deal with the issue by paying appropriate compensation and making an apology.
"When we visited the company, its management appeared to feel uncomfortable about South Korean people's anger over the issue," said Lee Guk-eon, general director for the civic group. "The negotiations are expected to start late next month, but we should ensure the compensation and apology issues are discussed properly."
During the 1910-1945 colonial rule, millions of Koreans were drafted into the Japanese workforce and the military, and even forced into sexual enslavement at frontline brothels.