A Japanese newspaper has reported that Seoul may present a solution to the wartime forced labor issue to Tokyo as early next month.
The Yomiuri Shimbun daily on Tuesday quoted a senior South Korean government official as saying that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which seeks to expediently normalize bilateral relations, plans to propose a solution to the compensation issue as soon as next month following further communication with Japan.
The newspaper also reported on the progress of a government and civic consultation body South Korea has set up to resolve the issue of Korean court rulings ordering Japanese firms to compensate forced labor victims.
The Yomiuri said that during the four meetings held so far, discussions centered on who will shoulder the responsibility of providing reparations to the victims and where will the money come from.
A South Korean official purportedly said that one promising option would collect funds donated by companies in both countries, although the paper noted that this route would trigger strong protest from the victims as plaintiffs in the lawsuit as well as from the main opposition party.
The report added the Seoul government was told by experts that the plaintiffs’ consent is not a legally required to replace direct payments by the Japanese companies in question with an alternative source of funding.
Source: KBS World Radio