7 in 10 Koreans say remnants of Japan's colonial rule remain unsettled: survey

Lee Jong-chan, head of the Heritage of Korean Independence, a state-funded association of independence fighters and their descendants, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Aug. 7. Yonhap

More than 7 out of 10 Koreans view the remnants of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula as still remaining even though Korea was liberated 80 years ago, a survey showed Wednesday.

In the survey conducted on 1,000 citizens and 850 descendants of independence patriots, 70.9 percent of the general public said the remnants of Japan's colonialism have not been removed yet. The poll was commissioned by the Heritage of Korean Independence, an organization that represents independence activists and their descendants.

When only the descendants are considered, seventy-eight percent viewed the colonial vestiges as still remaining in the poll conducted from Aug. 1-7 on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule.

Efforts to resolve the remnants of Japan's colonial rule include listing pro-Japanese collaborators or confiscating assets acquired by them or owned by their descendants.

The survey showed that 71.8 percent of ordinary people and 83.1 percent of descendants of independence patriots said the country should remove the vestiges of the colonial past, albeit belatedly.

When asked what's needed the most to improve Korea's relations with Japan, 30.5 percent of the respondents cited Japan's sincere apology for its wartime history, followed by 17.1 percent calling for joint research and education efforts to prevent history distortion.