SEOUL– A senior South Korean diplomat said Sunday it is “a bit early” to predict when Seoul and Tokyo can settle the thorny issue of Japan’s wartime forced labor, amid speculation that they have moved closer to a deal following a flurry of diplomatic engagement.
First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong made the remarks as he departed for Washington for trilateral talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Wendy Sherman and Takeo Mori, set for Monday (Washington time).
“It is a bit early to make a prediction on when (the two countries) will reach a conclusion,” Cho told reporters when asked if there is a possibility that the two sides will settle the issue of compensation for Korean victims of forced labor this month.
“I would like to tell you that we will continue to seek close consultations,” he added.
While in Washington, Cho is expected to hold bilateral talks with Mori, where the forced labor issue could top their agenda.
Their trilateral meeting with Sherman could also add momentum to the effort to reach the settlement on the issue, as the U.S. is seeking to tighten trilateral security cooperation with the two Asian allies amid North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats and China’s growing assertiveness.
Last month, the government unveiled the plan to compensate victims of Japan’s wartime forced labor through a public foundation, as an alternative to receiving compensation from the accused Japanese companies.
But victims and their family members have rejected it, calling for Tokyo’s sincere apology for its wartime misdeed and the direct involvement by the Japanese companies in the compensation process.
Source: Yonhap News Agency