SEOUL-- Diplomats from South Korea and Japan held talks in Tokyo on Friday to discuss the long-simmering issue of the latter's wartime forced labor, as the two countries seek to move beyond historical grievances in the face of shared security threats from North Korea.
Lee Sang-ryeol, the director general for Asia and Pacific affairs, met with his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, amid concerns that a legal process here to liquidate assets of Japanese firms to compensate forced labor victims could further strain ties between Seoul and Tokyo.
"Lee explained (Seoul's) efforts to enhance bilateral relations and address the forced labor issue, and called on Japan once again to show a sincere response for the resolution of the issue," the ministry said in a release.
The ministry cast the latest meeting as part of continued communication to draw up a "reasonable solution" over the forced labor issue.
"The two director generals shared the view that it is important for the diplomatic authorities of the two countries to continue communication to restore and improve South Korea-Japan relations," it said.
Their latest meeting drew attention as the Supreme Court might soon hand down rulings that could force Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to sell its assets in South Korea to compensate Korean victims.
Liquidation of the Japanese firm's assets could hamper the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's efforts to improve soured ties with Japan, which has warned of consequences in such cases.
During the two-hour meeting, Lee told Funakoshi about the potential compensation schemes discussed in a public-private body launched in early July and Seoul's plan to draw up a solution that reflects victims' opinions, a foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The diplomatic spat over the thorny issue began after the Supreme Court made unprecedented rulings in 2018 that Japanese firms should pay compensation to forced labor victims, and Japan imposed export curbs against South Korea in apparent retaliation.
Japan has claimed that all reparation issues related to the 1910-45 colonial rule were settled under a 1965 treaty that the two countries signed to normalize relations.
Source: Yonhap News Agency