hankyoreh

Former comfort women Kim Bok-dong thanks students for giving her a carnation at the 1

The South Korean government has reportedly adopted an internal policy of not using its budget to fund the establishment of a foundation to support comfort women survivors.

The foundation is scheduled to be established during the first half of this year in accordance with an agreement reached by Seoul and Tokyo on the comfort women issue last Dec. 28.

“Given the spirit of the South Korea-Japan agreement, government budget support for the foundation is not being considered at the current stage,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs source said on May 10.

In their agreement, the two governments made plans for a one-time payment of one billion yen (US$91.6 million) by the Japanese government for the foundation, which was to be established by the South Korean government.

But many argued that the payment would be inadequate for systematic and ongoing efforts to meet the agreement’s stated goal of “efforts to restore the honor and dignity of all former comfort women and heal the wounds in their hearts.”

Major foundation projects discussed by the South Korean government include support for individual survivors, commemoration and education efforts, and the establishment of a memorial hall.

“Apart from any question of how big or small the amount is, our intention is to stay faithful to the meaning of fulfilling the responsibility through Japanese government funding,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said of Seoul’s plans not to fund the project.

But while Seoul has framed its decision in terms of honoring the principle of Japanese government responsibility, a possible concern is that the foundation’s efforts could end up confined to support for individual survivors. The South Korean government does plan to fund costs that are not directly associated with foundation projects, including office space rental and personnel expenses for the foundation.

Noting that the foundation’s support extends to “all those who were comfort women victims,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said current considerations include “whether to differentiate between those who have already passed away and those who are still alive, or among the survivors.” The implicit message is that Seoul plans to support all victims as a rule, living or dead, and is considering differentiated levels of assistance. The current list of comfort women survivors registered with the South Korean government includes 238 women, 44 of whom are still alive.

The same official said a preparation committee for the foundation‘s establishment within the first half of 2016 is set for launch as early as this month.

By Lee Je-hun, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]