Yomiuri: "Korea May Present Solution to Forced Labor Lawsuit to Japan as Early as Next Month"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The South Korean government plans to present a solution to the lawsuit filed by forced labor victims during the Japanese colonial period to the Japanese government as early as next month, Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 6th, citing a senior South Korean government official.

According to the report, the senior official said, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration, aiming for an early improvement in Korea-Japan relations, intends to communicate further with the Japanese side and present a solution as early as next month."

Yomiuri introduced that the South Korean government held four rounds of public-private consultations to seek a solution to the forced labor victims' lawsuit, discussing who would bear the compensation payments to the forced labor victims (plaintiffs) and how to secure the funding. According to a South Korean government official cited by Yomiuri, the public-private consultations reached a consensus that it would be desirable for a newly established fund or an existing foundation to take the lead in resolving the issue, with the funding sourced from contributions by companies from both Korea and Japan.

Yomiuri added that the South Korean government has obtained expert opinions that legally, the plaintiffs' consent is not required to substitute the money to be paid by Japanese companies with a fund or similar mechanism. If the South Korean government decides to pay the compensation using a fund as its plan, it is expected that the plaintiffs and opposition parties will strongly oppose it, and Yomiuri assessed that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration will face a situation requiring a political decision.

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