“Consolation Women’s Judgment is embarrassing” Japan is embarrassed by the changed attitude of President Wen

President Moon Jae-in at a New Year’s press conference on the 18th, over the current issues of Korea and Japan, presented a relaxed stance that was different from the hardline of the passport. It was also mentioned that “it’s embarrassing,” as to the impact of our court’s ruling, which acknowledged the Japanese government’s liability for compensation for the victims of comfort women, will have on Korea-Japan relations.

When asked about Korea-Japan relations, President Moon said, “The past is a past accident, and future-oriented development needs to be carried out as it is,” and “It is necessary to separate the past by case and find a solution.” President Moon continued, “To solve the issue of export regulations and compulsory conscripts diplomatically, the two countries are having a multi-level dialogue,” he said. “In the meantime, the issue of the comfort women judgment was added, which is frankly a bit embarrassing,” he said.

President Moon also responded to the recent court ruling that the Japanese government requested to pay alimony to the victims of comfort women, “I admit that the 2015 Korea-Japan government agreement for comfort women was an official agreement between the two governments.” “We will discuss between Korea and Japan to find a solution to agree on.”

In particular, regarding the issue of compensation for compulsory conscription, which Japan reacts sensitively, he said, “I don’t think it is desirable in the bilateral relations that the method of cashing (Japanese corporate assets) through forced execution.”

President Moon said, “It is first to find a diplomatic solution before such a stage, but the plaintiffs must be able to agree,” said President Moon. “The two governments discuss how the plaintiffs will agree, and the Korean government persuades the plaintiffs with that method. I think that we can solve the problem step by step.”

President Moon’s comments on this day are different from those of the strong political currents in Japan. It is also different from the government’s attitude toward Japan in that it expressed “perplexing” about the Korean court ruling, and that the Park Geun-hye administration nailed the Korea-Japan comfort women agreement in 2015 as a “official agreement between the two governments.” President Moon said, “It was confirmed that there were serious defects both in procedure and in content,” after the results of the investigation of the’Korea-Japan Comfort Women Agreement Review Task Force (TF)’ were announced in December 2017. At the time, President Moon said, “Despite the burden that the last agreement was an official promise between the two governments, which was confirmed by the two leaders, as President, I make it clear again that this agreement cannot solve the comfort women problem with the people.” The nuances were different from those days.

In December 2015, the two governments presented the results of a discussion with the main idea of ​​establishing a reconciliation and healing foundation in which Japan contributed 1 billion yen. However, the Moon Jae-in administration made a decision to disband the Foundation in 2018, recognizing that “It is obviously wrong that the Korean-Japanese governments tried to solve the problem by excluding the victims and exchanging requirements with each other.”

In particular, it is interpreted that President Moon’s position of’forced execution of cash currency’ is a message to Japan. ‘Forced monetization of Japanese corporate assets’ is an issue that the Japanese government has taken as a magnificent line of dissolution of Korea-Japan relations. In response, President Moon also expressed his position as undesirable, so the worst is a signal to avoid. It is observed that the establishment of a channel under water to seek solutions such as forced conscription between Korea and Japan.

Indeed, Japan is in an atmosphere of embarrassment at the sudden change in the attitude of the Korean government. Japan’s Minister of Defense Sakai Manabu, at a regular press conference that afternoon, replied, “The government is paying attention to these remarks” when asked how to evaluate President Moon’s remarks related to Japan’s relations. Regarding the remarks that he would consult with Japan to find a solution, he made a position to withhold the evaluation, saying, “We are noticing and will keep an eye on the actual future actions of South Korea.”

Jiji news agency reported that there are voices in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that distrust the Korean government, saying, “The truth is unknown.” A foreign ministry official responded skeptically, saying, “Unless the Korean side comes up with a solution, the situation will not change.” An executive at the prime minister’s residence also devalued President Moon’s remarks, saying, “The important thing is to show by action.”

Kyodo News reported that the Moon administration, which had put forward the principle of’respecting judicial judgment’ on the issue of forced labor, said, “When the Japanese government came up with a more objectionable comfort women lawsuit, it sought ways to avoid the sale of Japanese assets to avoid intensifying confrontation. There is a possibility that there is,” he predicted.

However, it is unclear whether there is a trick to avoid the monetization of forced executions. The case of compulsory conscription cannot be reversed, as the Supreme Court has already ruled. In the domestic legal community, there is an opinion that “unless the plaintiffs drop the lawsuit, the monetization process is bound to proceed.”

The Yomiuri Shimbun also evaluated that it is the first time that the Korean government has expressed an opinion that it wants to avoid monetization, but predicted that “It is not known whether (the Korean government) will be able to present a proposal that both Japan and the plaintiff can accept.”

Reporter Jung Yong-soo, Tokyo = Lee Young-hee, correspondent [email protected]