'Abe will apologize to victims'

Senior officials visit comfort women

By Kang Seung-woo

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will apologize to the victims of wartime sex slavery sometime soon, a senior Korean official said Tuesday.

“Although I cannot specify when the time will be, Abe will have an opportunity to apologize to the victims,” said First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam during a visit to a shelter for the survivors in Seoul.

Under a landmark deal signed Monday to resolve the issue, the Japanese government acknowledged its responsibility for the state-perpetrated crime for the first time, delivering Abe’s words of apology.

However, the former comfort women insisted that Abe make a public apology.

Second Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul also visited another shelter in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

Their visits to the elderly women took place one day after Korea and Japan reached a deal to end their dispute over the latter’s enslavement of Korean women forced into prostitution in Japanese wartime military brothels during World War II.

However, there are criticisms that the agreement failed to fully address the victims’ grievances.

“The agreement may fall short of fully restoring the dignity and honor of the comfort women, but it is meaningful that Japan acknowledged its responsibility,” Lim said.

They also agreed that Korea will create a fund for which Japan will contribute 1 billion yen ($8.3 million).

During the meeting, the survivors slammed the agreement.

“The government should have met with the victims before reaching the agreement,” said Lee Yong-soo, an 88-year-old former comfort woman. “It is a move looking down on us.”

Insisting that Abe make a public apology and Japan offer compensation for the victims, Kim Bok-dong, 90, said, “It is preposterous to say that the Korean government has resolved the issue.”

Regarding the government’s plan to discuss with civic groups whether to relocate a statue symbolizing a comfort woman in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Kim slammed the government.

“It is not something the two governments can discuss,” Kim said. “The statue was erected by private citizens’ donations, so it does not make sense for Japan to call on Korea to remove it.”

In response, Lim said that the government tried its utmost to produce results, such as the Japanese government’s taking responsibility for its wartime wrongdoings, Abe’s apology and other follow-up measures.

“The government made efforts to resolve the issue before wasting more time,” the vice minister said.

The vice ministers’ visit to the shelter is another measure for the government to seek understanding of the agreement from the public and comfort women from a broader perspective.

After the two nations reached the deal, President Park Geun-hye also issued a public statement.

“What’s important is to take necessary measures to alleviate the pains of comfort women through faithful and quick implementation of the deal,” she said in the statement.