"Please Expedite the Consultation on the Awarding Process for Grandmother Yang Geum-deok"

Citizens' Group for Forced Mobilization under Japanese Rule Urges Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Commission

The Citizens' Group for Forced Mobilization under Japanese Rule announced on the 10th that it urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Human Rights Commission to proceed with the procedure regarding the awarding of the Republic of Korea Human Rights Award to Grandmother Yang Geum-deok, who was mobilized as a working spirit soldier, which was canceled.

Citizen groups in the Gwangju area held a press conference in January condemning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for blocking the National Medal of Honor for Yang Geum-deok, a surviving victim of forced labor during the Japanese occupation.
[Photo by Min Hyun-gi]

On the same day, the citizens' group reportedly sent official letters to the two institutions requesting them to "consult to proceed with the 2022 Republic of Korea Human Rights Award (Order of Civil Merit) awarding procedure for Grandmother Yang Geum-deok."

The National Human Rights Commission recommended the government award to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety after public verification and merit review of the 2022 Republic of Korea Human Rights Award candidates in November last year. However, since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed a position of "disagreement," the matter was not submitted to the Cabinet meeting agenda and was ultimately canceled.

In response, the National Human Rights Commission requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform them of the specific details requiring "consultation," but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not clarify its position. Despite the Human Rights Commission's repeated requests in January for cooperation to promptly proceed with the award confirmation procedure, related consultations have not yet taken place.

Regarding this, Han Chang-seop, Acting Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, recently stated during a National Assembly government questioning session, "The recommending institution, the National Human Rights Commission, has not withdrawn its recommendation so far," and added, "If the recommending authority, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reach an agreement, the vice-ministerial meeting and Cabinet meeting procedures can proceed immediately."

A representative of the Citizens' Group for Forced Mobilization under Japanese Rule said, "We have received a response that if the awarding procedure is reinitiated, it will be seriously reviewed," and urged, "Since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly stated that it does not oppose the award itself, we ask for prompt cooperation in the awarding procedure."

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