By Kim Hyo-jin
A foundation to be funded by the Japanese government to support Korean victims forced into Japanese military-run brothels during World War II will be set up in the first half of next year, officials here said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will begin working-level consultations soon to create the foundation.
The move came after Japan agreed to provide 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) for the foundation to be set up by Seoul to support surviving victims of wartime sex slavery under a landmark deal reached by Seoul and Tokyo, Monday.
For the preparatory work, the Korean government plans to ask for advice from the private sector.
“We will decide on whether to operate the foundation directly or entrust it to the private sector,” an official said.
The foundation is expected to engage in aid projects for sex slavery victims such as providing medical and welfare services.
Controversy still surrounds the nature of the money to be offered by the Japanese government.
The Korean government views it as a form of compensation based on Tokyo’s recognition of its responsibility about the wartime atrocities as the money will be provided by the Japanese government. The case is seen differently from the Asia Women’s Fund set up by Tokyo in 1995 with donations from the private sector.
But some of the victims and activists say the foundation is not meaningful as long as Japan does not admit its “legal” responsibility for the sexual slavery.
It remains to be seen how Japan will establish the fund. It can establish the fund legally in the parliament, or earmark the funds from the national budget in the name of humanitarian aid for the victims, analysts said.
It is also not clear whether the Korean victims will receive money from the foundation. A majority of them earlier refused to receive financial support from the Asian Women’s Fund, a private reparations group set up by Tokyo.