Japan's wartime sex slavery 'shocking'

President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference held following a summit with President Park Geun-hye at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap

Allies agree on OPCON delay; US president remembers Sewol victims

By Kim Tae-gyu

President Barack Obama set aside diplomatic niceties Friday and told Japan to confront its wartime misdeeds such as the sexual slavery or “comfort women” issue.

“Any of us who look back on the history of what happened to comfort women here have to recognize that this was a terrible violation of human rights,” Obama told a news conference after a summit with President Park Geun-hye at Cheong Wa Dae.

“Those women were violated in ways that, even in the midst of war, was shocking,” the U.S. the head of state said.

Obama had been treading carefully on Japan’s wartime crimes, taking great care not to take sides with either Japan or Korea, one of the nations it victimized.

In Tokyo, his previous stop before his arrival in Seoul, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stunned Obama by defending homage visits by himself and politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine, where the remains of 14 Class A Second World War criminals are enshrined.

The U.S. leader said that for a better future it was in the interests of the two neighbors to look forward as well as backward.

Park and Obama were united against North Korea’s nuclear program.

“If the North goes ahead with the fourth nuclear test, it will fundamentally shake the security situation in Northeast Asia and any rapprochement effort through the six-party talks would be meaningless,” Park told a press conference following the summit at Cheong Wa Dae.

Obama also said the North would “get nothing other than greater isolation” and face “further sanctions” from any such test.

During the news conference, the U.S. President expressed his condolences to the victims of the sunken ferry Sewol, the death toll of which is feared to surpass 300.

The ship capsized in waters off the country’s southwestern coast on April 16.

“I would also like to express, on behalf of the American people, deepest sympathies for the incredible, tragic losses and sacrifices,” Obama told Park during the summit. “Our delegation, out of respect to the victims of the tragedy, would like to take a moment of silence.”

As a token of condolence, Obama offered the American flag which was hoisted at half-mast at the White House when the Sewol sank claiming hundreds of lives, mostly students of Danwon High School in Ansan, south of Seoul.

“The flag is presented to President Park and the people of the Republic of Korea, on behalf of the American people,” read a letter delivered to Park along with the Stars and Stripes. “It reflects our deep condolences, our solidarity with you at this difficult time, and our great pride in calling you an ally and a friend.”

Obama donated to the high school a sapling from a magnolia tree that former U.S. President Andrew Jackson brought to Washington in 1829.

Regarding the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) of ROK forces from the U.S. to Korea, the two leaders agreed to postpone the scheduled handover in 2015.

“The current timeline for the transition of wartime OPCON to a Republic of Korea-led defense in 2015 can be reconsidered,” the joint fact sheet said.

During the Korean War (1950-53), Seoul handed over both wartime and peacetime OPCON over South Korean soldiers to Washington, which returned the latter in 1994 and was poised to give the former in 2012.

However, the measure was postponed to 2015 when Park’s predecessor Lee Myung-bak was in office, and the incumbent administration has requested another delay.

Asked about the new timeline, Park said that it would be fixed later through talks between defense agencies of the two countries.

After the 90-minute summit, Obama returned nine Joseon Kingdom (1492-1910) royal seals, which were smuggled to the U.S. during the Korean War, to Park.

Before arriving in Cheong Wa Dae, he visited Seoul’s War Memorial to pay his respects to U.N. troops who were killed during the Korean War, and Gyongbok Palace close to the presidential office.

Obama plans to have a breakfast meeting with American businesspeople here early Saturday and visit U.S. troops stationed in central Seoul to wrap up his two-day visit.

The U.S. President will then visit Malaysia before heading to the Philippines as part of his eight-day Asian trip geared toward drumming up support for his country’s pivot to Asia.

Washington is staging an uphill battle to assume hegemony in Asia against the strengthening clout of Beijing.