Ministry of Foreign Affairs withholds 'Yoon Mi-hyang meeting records' from 2015 comfort women agreement

Notification to the 'Hanbando Inkwon and Tongil Lawyer Association' that filed a public request

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided not to disclose records of a meeting with Representative Yoon Mee-hyang, who was the standing representative of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery during the 2015 agreement with Japan on comfort women.

On the 11th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified the 'Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea,' who requested the disclosure of meeting materials from the comfort women agreement, of its decision to withhold the materials. The Ministry stated that this decision was made pursuant to Article 9, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2 of the Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies.

The provision applied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Article 9, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2 of the Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies, stipulates that information may not be disclosed if it is recognized that disclosure could significantly harm the vital interests of the state concerning national security, defense, unification, or diplomatic relations.

Previously, the conservative group 'Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea' officially requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to disclose the meeting records to verify whether Representative Yoon Mee-hyang was aware of the contents of the 2015 Korea-Japan comfort women agreement in advance.

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