Ban Ki-moon explains his “welcoming” of comfort women agreement

Posted on : 2016-03-14 17:55 KST Modified on : 2016-03-14 17:55 KST
UN Secretary General reportedly says his use of the word “welcome” was standard UN phrasing
UN Secretary General meets with comfort woman survivor Gil Won-ok at UN headquarters in New York
UN Secretary General meets with comfort woman survivor Gil Won-ok at UN headquarters in New York

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reportedly said that his message welcoming a Dec. 2015 agreement between the South Korean and Japanese governments on the comfort women issue was misunderstood.

Yoon Mee-hyang, co-representative of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdaehyeop), quoted Ban as explaining that the UN was “dealing with a lot of issues around the world” during a meeting with her and comfort woman survivor Gil Won-ok, 89, at the institution‘s headquarters in New York on Mar. 11.

Yoon reported Ban as saying he hopes Gil and Yoon would understand the remarks as a statement of welcome in terms that the UN uses when it welcomes and encourages even the small agreements that are reached in such processes.

During the meeting, Yoon reiterated the position that the agreement on Dec. 28 disregarded the UN and international community’s own principle of adopting a “victim-centered” resolution approach on major human rights infringements - a message that Ban expressed sympathies with.

Ban’s clarification appeared to be an attempt to counter criticisms of his original remarks welcoming the agreement.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent

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