An Min-seok: "Government Denies Supreme Court Ruling... Act of Treason"

The government proposed a 'third-party compensation method' as a solution to the issue of forced labor during Japan's occupation, but Ahn Min-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly criticized it, saying, "The government denying the Supreme Court's ruling and abandoning national sovereignty is an act of betrayal."

On the 7th, Ahn said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "The answer is to have the Japanese war crime companies Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel compensate, as ruled by the Supreme Court in 2018."

Ahn Min-seok, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

He mentioned his visit last week to the 'Industrial Heritage Information Center' in Tokyo, Japan, saying, "there, there are historical claims in the records that there was no discrimination against Korean laborers, no forced mobilization, and promotional materials stating that the Japanese and Koreans worked together with one heart for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere are posted like this," adding, "It is our government's duty to protest this reality and to respect the rulings of the Korean Supreme Court."

In response to the host's question about whether relations with Japan have only worsened since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling during the Moon Jae-in administration, Ahn replied, "There is a Korean town right in the middle of Tokyo. Even on weekday afternoons, Japanese youth are bustling there. People are coming and going between Korean and Japanese companies as well," adding, "Apart from the governments of the two countries, relations at the civilian level are being resolved."

He continued, "The important thing is that we must not abandon national sovereignty. Apologies and compensation for forced mobilization are matters of national sovereignty, aren't they?" He questioned, "Which citizen would accept us giving up national sovereignty just because Japan refuses?"

Ahn said, "Japan claims that they have inherited the Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration and have apologized to the victims of forced mobilization, and our government seems to acknowledge this as well, but this is deceiving the people," raising his voice, "The Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration only expressed apology and reflection on colonial rule, not on forced mobilization."

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