Occupation from 1910 to 1945: South Korea wants to compensate victims of Japanese forced labor itself

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South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin: "We must break this vicious circle"

Photo: KIM HONG-JI / AFP

The issue has been straining relations between Japan and South Korea for decades. Now the government in Seoul is making an unusual move: South Korea wants to set up a fund to provide financial compensation to compatriots who had to do forced labor during Japan's colonial rule over Korea (1910-45). .

Secretary of State Park Jin announced plans in Seoul on Monday that victims of forced labor would be compensated through a public fund that would be filled with private donations.

"We must break this vicious circle in the national interest and for the people," Park said.

Actually, in 2018, the Supreme Court of South Korea had obliged Japanese companies to pay compensation.

However, it never came to that.

Rather, a trade dispute developed between Japan and South Korea after the verdict.

For example, Japan restricted the supply of high-tech goods to South Korean tech companies, and South Korea revoked Japan's right to accelerated export procedures.

According to the new plans, former forced laborers are to be compensated from an existing foundation financed by companies.

Japanese companies are not obliged to pay there, but can contribute voluntarily.

Massive criticism from the opposition and representatives

While the proposal was received positively in Japan, victims and the opposition in South Korea reacted with criticism.

The government surrenders to Japan.

"This is a day of shame," the spokesman for the Democratic Party said.

It was a victory for Japan across the board, wrote a lawyer for the victims on Facebook.

The plans reflect the intention of South Korea's conservative government of President Yoon Suk Yeol to significantly improve relations with Japan.

Yoon said Monday the decision to set up a compensation fund follows the goal of developing "forward-looking" relations between South Korea and Japan.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida welcomed South Korea's decision, saying it will help restore "healthy relations".

Tokyo sees the issue settled by a 1965 treaty.

Observers now expect Seoul to call on South Korean companies to donate to the fund.

The focus could therefore be on companies that had benefited from the 1965 normalization agreement.

Biden speaks of a "groundbreaking" chapter

US President Joe Biden said it was a "groundbreaking" new chapter in relations between two of America's closest allies.

The US is trying to improve relations among its allies in Asia - particularly to forge a stable alliance with China.

Biden said the announcement was a "critical step in forging a future for Koreans and Japanese that is safer and more prosperous."

fek/dpa/Reuters