The Civic Group for Victims of Forced Labor criticized the government for maintaining a third-party compensation system for victims, arguing that it ignores Japan's historical responsibility.
On August 16, the group issued a statement claiming, "The government is overlooking Japan's historical responsibility while upholding the third-party compensation plan for forced labor victims."
The group pointed out that President Lee Jae-myung, during his time as opposition leader, had criticized the third-party compensation plan as a 'diplomatic humiliation,' yet is now seeking to maintain it for the sake of policy consistency.
Additionally, they criticized President Lee for emphasizing Korea-Japan cooperation in his Liberation Day speech while failing to mention Japan's historical responsibility.
The Civic Group asserted, "We should not continue the policies of the previous administration while emphasizing practical diplomacy." The third-party compensation system was proposed by the government in 2023 as a solution where a domestic foundation would pay compensation to forced labor victims instead of Japanese companies.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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