South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday defended his government's contentious plan to use local funds to compensate Koreans enslaved by Japanese companies before the end of World War II, saying it's crucial for Seoul to build future-oriented ties with its former colonial overlord.
Yoon said it resulted from government efforts to "respect the positions of victims while also seeking ways that would align with the common interests and future development of both South Korea and Japan."
The money to compensate the forced labour victims is likely to come from South Korean companies that benefited from that 1965 accord, which was accompanied by hundreds of millions of dollars in economic aid and loans from Tokyo to Seoul. Those were used in development projects carried out by the companies, including steel giant POSCO, which says it will consider contributing to the fund if requested.
"It's clear that future-oriented co-operation between South Korea and Japan will preserve freedom, peace and prosperity not only for the two countries, but also for the entire world." Hours after Seoul announced its compensation plan, South Korea and Japan said they planned talks to restore their trade relations. South Korea also is suspending a case it brought to the World Trade Organization over the Japanese trade curbs.
"You told us when you dragged us to Japan that you will send us to schools and pay us if we work. Those were lies," she said.
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