SEOUL, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Thursday defended the government's solution to resolve a forced labor row with Japan, saying that the decision is aimed at moving relations with Tokyo toward the future.
Han's remarks came days after Seoul announced the decision to compensate the Korean victims of Japan's forced labor through a foundation supported by donations from South Korean businesses, not the Japanese companies accused of forced labor during World War II.
The solution was welcomed by the United States and Japan but has drawn strong criticism from victims of wartime forced labor and opposition parties.
"The government's solution is the result of repeated considerations to promote future-oriented Korea-Japan relations while swiftly healing the pain that victims of forced labor have suffered for a long time," Han told a meeting on state affairs.
Han said the solution was led by South Korea to "move Korea-Japan relations toward the future without being tied to the unfortunate history of the past."
Han also described Japan as a "neighbor who can play an important role as a partner in resolving various problems such as economy, security, science and technology, and climate crisis."
In the wake of the solution, Han instructed relevant ministries to make efforts to revitalize trade and cooperation with Japan.
"We expect that the cooperative relationship between Korea and Japan will serve as an opportunity to contribute to world peace, stability and prosperity," Han said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency