Park presses Japan over wartime sexual slavery
President Park Geun-hye, center, shakes hands with a Japanese lawmaker who, along with his fellow parliamentarians, paid a courtesy visit to Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. / Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
President Park Geun-hye urged Japan, Friday, not to repeat “regressive behavior” in dealing with Tokyo’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during WWII.
“It is crucial that Japan does not emotionally hurt victims of sexual slavery,” she said during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae with a Japanese delegation from the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians Union.
“Trust between Seoul and Tokyo and improvement in their ties is important. And we can make a fresh start in our relations by settling the issue of sexual slavery.”
Earlier Japanese media reported that the delegation had a message from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but stopped short of saying what it contained. The union is comprised of 90 lawmakers from Japan and Korea, and was created to promote Seoul-Tokyo ties.
Headed by Fukushiro Nukaga, the 30-member delegation arrived after Tokyo’s National Security Adviser Shotaro Yachi showed skepticism, Thursday, over the possibility of a Korea-Japan summit during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing on Nov. 10 and 11.
The leaders from the 21 APEC-member countries, including Korea, Japan and China, will gather to discuss ways to promote sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, Yachi told Abe Thursday that the chances for a Korea-Japan summit will be “slim in the near future.”
Yachi met his Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin during a visit to Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday.
His visit to Seoul was seen as an effort to lay the groundwork for dialogue between Park and Abe.
In their meeting, Yachi and Kim agreed with each to improve Seoul-Tokyo ties ahead of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Kim, however, stressed that Tokyo should make “sincere efforts” to settle historical disputes, especially Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during WWII. Such wartime atrocities have been a key factor in the souring of ties between the two sides.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Abe’s Cabinet is instead considering holding a summit between Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing during the APEC meeting.
Meanwhile, the parliamentarians union will hold its 37th meeting Saturday at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, downtown Seoul.
The two sides will discuss ways to promote regional security, including possible solutions to North Korea’s nuclear programs and human rights conditions. They will also share ideas to enhance cooperation in the culture, tourism, sports and media sectors, and bilateral support for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.