Most Korean plaintiffs in Japan forced-labor cases accept Seoul's compensation plan

time to move on?

What this article left out.

1) Five of plaintiffs(3 living forced laborers and 2 descendants) have completed the formal legal process of rejecting Yoon administration's plan, so the liquidation trials for both Mitsubishi and Nippon Steel continue. There is no other possible outcome than liquidation at the end.

2) Yoon's polling has collapsed to 30% and may fall further. The polling margin for the Democratic party against the conservative party is bigger than it was 4 years ago, meaning the Democratic party is looking to extend their supermajority in next year's election, at which point the Democratic party plans to impeach Yoon to remove him from office, and reverse all the agreements that Yoon has made with Japan.

3) The next Democratic presidential candidate, Lee Jae Myong, is even a harder core anti-Japan politician than Moon Jae In was.

nothing like making money off of your great-grandparents' misery!

Yes not surprised the article on here has left out those details.

The pendulum will continue to swing from far right to left in South Korea as the Korean War itself initially grew out of opposition to the US Occupation of the south from 1945 by the majority of South Koreans, which is why US-installed president Rhee executed left-leaning South Koreans on a massive scale (Jeju massacre in 1948, Bodo League massacre, etc)...people don't forget such things, and the foment will continue to rage on.

And btw JT these type of facts are totally relevant as President Yoon and his policies are a legacy of the Korean War. Yoon is just the latest pro US ROK president whose goals are to fall in line with US policy, which in this case is to play nice with Japan and collectively rachet up the pressure on North Korea.

I don’t see any reason why South Korea should unite with Japan. Soth Korea should try to unite with North Korea. Obviously, they are both Korean people, they shouldn’t treat each other as enemy. They must be from the same families before the split.

All the apologies, bowing, or money in the world isn’t going to wash the stink off. And they say time heals all wounds… hmm.

Japan has said the matter was settled under a 1965 treaty.

This was what Japan should always refer to :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_Basic_Relations_Between_Japan_and_the_Republic_of_Korea

With the Treaty, the agreements between Japan and Korea concerning the settlement of problems in regard to property and claims and economic cooperation was also signed. Japan provided South Korea with $300 million grant in economic aid and $200 million in loans together with $300 million in loans for private trust, a total of $800 million as "reparation fee" that Japan had to pay for their illegal occupation. The official policy of Japanese governments has been that, in regard to war-time property issues and individual claims for compensation, such issues were settled completely and finally by this agreement. But Korean Supreme court decided that all the charges related to individuals still are alive.

Most of the funds from grants and loan were used for economic development, particularly on establishing social infrastructures, founding POSCO, building Gyeongbu Expressway and the Soyang Dam with the technology transfer from Japanese companies.[19] Records also show 300,000 won per death was used to compensate victims of forced labor between 1975 and 1977.

Silly move by the five families that rejected the government proposal.

It's time to end this circus and move on with your lives. People in Korea are gradually becoming disinterested in this drawn-out, flogging a dead horse movement.

I read a very interesting article about how South Koreans were brought up to hate Japan from an early age. Now, that hatred is targeting another nationality.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/opinion/south-korea-japan-china-relations.html

@samit

The next Democratic presidential candidate, Lee Jae Myong, is even a harder core anti-Japan politician than Moon Jae In was.

I doubt that Lee Jae Myong will last very long as the leader of his party, he is so scandal-ridden that anyone who supports him is a fool. Even his former chief of staff who committed suicide penned a note telling him to get out of politics.

South Korea should try to unite with North Korea. Obviously, they are both Korean people

That's similar as saying Japan should join China, since Japanese came from China looooong time ago.

South Korea and North Korea are two totally different countries.

Those who have agreed to accept the government plan are bereaved families of 10 deceased victims among 15 in cases where South Korea's Supreme Court ordered Japanese firms to pay reparations in 2018.

10 out of 15. No bad, not bad at all considering what we have been seeing in the previous administrations.

@WiseOneIn Kansai

I doubt that Lee Jae Myong will last very long as the leader of his party

He will for two simple reasons.

1) Lee's support within the party is absolute. They call the Democratic party his private party now.

2) Lee's trials won't end for several years, during which time he's a free man able to sit in the parliament and run for the office of presidency. If Yoon can stay in the office for 5 years then yes it becomes a problem for Lee, but Lee and the Democrats plan to get rid of Yoon next year anyway.

That's why the impeachment is happening next year, so that Lee can take the office of presidency before the trials end, then his trials are suspended during his term.

he is so scandal-ridden that anyone who supports him is a fool.

Lee currently has the support of 40% among all presidential contenders, more than 2.5 times the poll number of the next strongest candidate.

@Xavier

But he might well not be elected if he has to resign or is in prison:

That's what you don't understand, Yoon will be impeached before Lee's trials end in the supreme court. This is why the impeachment is guaranteed next year.

Yoon's approval rating fell to 27%, disapproval is at 65% according to Gallup Korea's poll released hours ago.

If Yoon's approval stays below 30% until the general election next spring, then the Democratic party has the public mandate to get rid of Yoon via impeachment.

The public support for the Democratic party is at 51%, People's Power(Yoon's party) is at 31%. That's a 20% gap.

The Democratic party sweeps all age group except voters older than 65.

Yoon committed a political suicide by announcing that 3rd party compensation plan.

@samit

Well, I don't know where you get your info, and I have doubts about your poll numbers.

Since the first corruption allegations against Lee Jae Myung broke out in 2021, five people linked to him during his terms as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi province (2018-2021) have committed suicide, something that some experts claim damages the image of the opposition party ahead of the 2024 legislative elections. 

Lee's support within the party is absolute. They call the Democratic party his private party now.

297 Korean lawmakers cast their ballots on a parliamentary consent to have Lee Jae Myung arrested for corruption. Out of the total votes, 139 approved Lee's arrest and 138 rejected it, while 9 were abstentions and 11 were considered invalid. Lee's party has 169 lawmakers. This clearly shows there are internal divisions in his own party.

As far as Japan is concerned, this matter is already settled by 1965 treaty. Hence, Japan has no concern over how Yoon administration scraped up the money for the amount Korean gov initially embezzled from 1965 JP-ROK compensation or how many plaintiffs (dead or alive) accepted/rejected its money or how many Korean activists agreed/disagreed Yoon's countermeasure settlement. They all are Korean domestic problems, NOT Japan's.

Those holding candles, IF YOU ARE GENUINE, read and study more .

@WiseOneIn Kansai

I have doubts about your poll numbers.

Don't doubt.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/04/113_349075.html

Yoon's approval rating falls to 27%: poll

Posted : 2023-04-14 18:38

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell below 30 percent for the first time in five months, a poll showed Friday.

In the poll of 1,002 adults conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance declined 4 percentage points from the previous week to 27 percent.

Yoon's disapproval rating was 65 percent, up 4 percentage points from the previous week.