Foreign Ministry 1st Vice Minister: "Some Progress Made on Japan Forced Labor Issue... Remaining Disputes to Be Discussed"

Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Foreign Minister, Visits the U.S.
Forced Labor Issue Expected to Be a Key Point in Korea-Japan Bilateral Talks

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Cho Hyun-dong, the First Vice Foreign Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained regarding the Korea-Japan forced labor compensation negotiation that “there are parts where opinions have been narrowed down and parts where they have not yet,” and “the current situation is that additional consultations at the vice ministerial or ministerial level are continuing on the remaining issues.”

Visiting the United States for the Korea-US-Japan Deputy Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Vice Minister Cho met with reporters on the 12th (local time) at Dulles Airport near Washington DC and said, “It is expected that the forced labor issue will be the most central issue in the bilateral talks with Takeo Mori, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan,” adding, “However, various consultations are ongoing, and it is still difficult to predict when a conclusion can be reached.”

Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, visiting Washington (Source: Yonhap News)

He explained, “We have been consulting for a considerable period, and while some differences have been narrowed, there are still parts where they have not.”

When asked about specific disagreements regarding Japan’s sincere measures or the third-party compensation method, Vice Minister Cho said, “It is difficult to comment until everything is agreed upon. A conclusion will be reached only when a comprehensive point of convergence is found,” and added, “The current situation is that additional consultations at the vice ministerial or ministerial level are continuing on the remaining issues.”

The governments of Korea and Japan have been negotiating after Korea officially proposed the ‘third-party compensation’ plan as a solution to the forced labor issue. In particular, the two countries are negotiating over Japan’s ‘sincere response’ issues, such as the participation of Japanese defendant companies in establishing a compensation fund and apologies in the process of preparing a compensation solution for forced labor.

Vice Minister Cho plans to hold separate bilateral consultations with the Japanese side during his stay until the 15th, and it is expected that the foreign ministers of Korea and Japan will also meet during the Munich Security Conference held in Germany.

Regarding the issue of the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, he said, “As a neighboring country, we raise national and scientific concerns on a bilateral level, and we will discuss this issue again this time,” adding, “This issue is a concern and interest not only for us but also for many countries including Pacific island nations.”

Regarding the Korea-US-Japan Deputy Foreign Ministers' Meeting scheduled for the 13th, Vice Minister Cho said, “We will discuss the results of the last summit in more detail, and also have in-depth discussions on cooperation on international affairs such as the Ukraine war and cooperation related to the Indo-Pacific strategy.”

Regarding the US strategy to strengthen extended deterrence, he explained, “The goal of Korea and the US is to effectively strengthen extended deterrence against North Korea’s increasing threats.” Regarding the US explanation that China operated reconnaissance balloon programs in over 40 countries, he said, “We express regret over acts that violate territorial sovereignty and international norms, and firmly maintain that such incidents should not occur.”

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