Japanese Media: "Former Human Rights Lawyer President Moon Prioritizes Forced Labor Victims' Interests"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Yomiuri Shimbun claimed on the 11th that President Moon Jae-in maintains a 'victim-centered approach' to the issue of forced labor under Japanese rule due to his experience as a human rights lawyer.

Yomiuri began a series titled "The Reality of President Moon at the Korea-Japan Frontline" with an article titled "Prioritizing the Interests of Former Forced Laborers (the Japanese-style expression for victims of forced labor)," reporting this perspective.

The newspaper stated, "We examine the background behind President Moon's actions that jeopardize Korea-Japan relations," and described the situation in 2000 when the Busan Comprehensive Law Office, where President Moon was the lead attorney, became involved in a forced labor lawsuit. At that time, as a human rights lawyer, President Moon reportedly said, "It's a good cause, so let's help," and acted as one of the plaintiffs' representatives, even attending oral arguments.

The lawsuit against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was the first trial in a Korean court with a Japanese company as the defendant. Yomiuri emphasized that President Moon's experience in this case became the foundation for the victim-centered approach regarding forced labor issues.

Yomiuri reported that Moon Chung-in, President Moon's special advisor on unification, diplomacy, and security, explained, "The victim-centered approach is President Moon's belief and philosophy as a human rights lawyer," adding, "It is difficult to force a different view." The advisor also referred to Japan's stance that agreements between countries must be respected as "state-centrism," and said the current Korea-Japan conflict is "a clash between two philosophies: state-centrism and victim-centrism."

The Japanese government has maintained its position that the November 2018 ruling by the Korean Supreme Court ordering Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to pay compensation to forced labor victims violates the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.