hankyoreh

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang meets with a delegation of “next-generation leaders” from the Diet of Japan On Nov. 5 (Yonhap News)

A delegation of “next-generation leaders” from the Diet of Japan visited the Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and Bareunmirae Party to condemn the South Korean Supreme Court’s recent ruling ordering compensation for conscripted labor during the Japanese occupation. The visits resulted in some heated exchanges as the remarks drew objections from LKP emergency committee chief Kim Byeong-joon and Bareunmirae Party leader Sohn Hak-kyu.

Led by lawmaker Yasuhisa Shiozaki from the Japanese House of Representatives, the delegation visited the National Assembly that day for the ostensible purpose of “interchange between South Korean and Japanese next-generation leaders.” In a meeting with Kim Byeong-joon, Shiozaki declared, “The matter of claim rights was fully and finally resolved with the 1965 Claims Settlement Agreement between South Korea and Japan.”

“The Supreme Court judgment on Oct. 30 is in clear violation [of that agreement]. With this ruling, the legal foundation for South Korea-Japan relations has been completely upended,” he continued. “This is utterly unacceptable to us.”

Shiozaki went on to say this position was “shared across party lines by the individual political parties, [Japanese] citizens of every walk of life, and the economic community.”

“Depending on the response from the South Korean government, this could affect South Korea-Japan relations. We believe it is necessary for South Korea to adopt immediate suitable measures, including corrective action,” he added.

“We would be grateful if the legislature also worked sincerely in an appropriate form,” he said.

In response, Kim said, “We would like Japan to bear heavily in mind that from the perspective of members of the South Korean public, we have always been the victims in issues of history.”

“While there may be some debate in terms of the legal issues, in terms of basic sentiments, there is a strong feeling among South Koreans that Japan has always been the party inflicting damage on us. I hope you will keep that in mind and work appropriately to establish a new [basis] for developing our bilateral relationship,” he continued.

Kim went on to say, “Since this is [supposed to be] a meeting for exchange among next-generational leaders, I look forward to seeing a lot of future-oriented discussions.”

The delegation voiced similar criticisms of the Supreme Court judgment in its meeting with Bareunmirae Party leader Sohn Hak-kyu.

“I think it is unfortunate that you said that. The Supreme Court ruling is something we must respect as a judgment, and it is not an issue to be broached at this time and place,” Sohn told Shiozaki in response.

“South Korea and Japan are seeking a rational resolution to the compensation issue, and I do not think it appropriate for this develop into a relationship of political antagonism,” he added.

Sohn went on to say, “We should continue advancing the good things between South Korea and Japan, but as we proceed toward the future, we should provide apologies and compensation where they are due in terms of a history of conflict and an undesirable history.”

“We also hope the Japanese government and politicians will look at the more positive aspects for the sake of advancing South Korea-Japan relations,” he continued.

The Japanese diet delegation also visited National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and discussed matters related to the advancement of bilateral relations.

By Lee Kyung-mi, staff reporter

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