60% of S Koreans oppose Japan wartime labor dispute resolution

I think S Korea has bigger problems than this issue that happened 70 years ago.

When one considers that Japan did pay, the South Korean government did receive it, and spent it, it's only logical that South Korean companies that benefited and grew should make the new contribution. These people who are against Pres Yoon's settlement either have no logic, or they are so heavily ingrained with hatred that they have lost the ability for rational thought. Fortunately the present SK leadership is clear headed about it;s goals.

"In January 2005, the South Korean government disclosed 1,200 pages of diplomatic documents that recorded the proceeding of the treaty. The documents, kept secret for 40 years, recorded that the Japanese government actually proposed to the South Korean government to directly compensate individual victims but it was the South Korean government which insisted that it would handle individual compensation to its citizens and then received the whole amount of grants on behalf of the victims.[13][14][15]

South Korean government demanded a total of 364 million dollars in compensation for the 1.03 million Koreans conscripted into the workforce and the military during the colonial period,[16] at a rate of 200 dollars per survivor, 1,650 dollars per death and 2,000 dollars per injured person.[17] South Korea agreed to demand no further compensation, either at the government or individual level, after receiving $800 million in grants and soft loans from Japan as compensation for its 1910–45 colonial rule in the treaty.[15]

Most of the funds from grants and loan were used for economic development,[18] 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."

Here comes Wartime labor version of Lee Yong-soo whose experience has been examined or proven by nobody else but herself. After all, no female was forcibly mobilized/conscripted by law from the peninsula at all. She volunteered to the labor corp by herself. She says she had been duped by Japanese Sensei . OK so, she was at school where she received education from Japanese Sensei, which sounds strange when considering ordinary Korean narratives. She says her father opposed to her going to Japan ,so she snuck away by herself....sounds familiar? smelling fishy again as usual.

By my count the Koreans have reached a "final and complete" agreement with Japan 3 times now, only to break the deal.

The war is over and has been for 70 years. Very few alive today were here to see it.

The Emperor and multiple administrations both left and right have apologized.

Regardless of the Abe deal being a good or a bad deal for Koreans (& I thought it was a bad deal) they signed the agreement. Its binding on both sides or it's binding on neither side.

Its not Japan's fault that the Korean government chose to give the war reparations to big industry. Koreans should take that up with those industries or their successors.

The Japanese that I talk to who are global, worldly and inclined not to look at this through a nationalistic lens say "enough. No more. This is the deal. Take it or leave it " and they don't care which is chosen.

The fact is this so called "dispute" was settled many years ago. It's over - and the South Koreans should move on. But sadly the SK media promotes daily hatred propaganda of Japan - which is the only reason most Koreans despise Japan.

I honestly believe Korea and Japan will always have poor relations because of this one sided hatred from Korea.

Article II of the 1965 Treaty

"The Contracting Parties confirm that [the] problem concerning property,rights and interests of the two Contracting Parties and their nationals (including juridical persons) and concerning claims between the Contracting Parties and their nationals, including those provided for in Article IV, paragraph (a) of the Treaty of Peace with Japan signed at the city of San Francisco on September 8, 1951, is settled completely and finally."

The wording "nationals" includes all Koreans within the specified time period.

The wording "property, rights and interests" includes any kind of due payment including damages.

This is why South Korea under the Moon administration refused to abide by Article III of the treaty and settle the difference in interpretation by Arbitration as stipulated. It was disingenious of Moon to silently allow and watch the South Korean Court move forward with the Forced Labor suit without following proper procedure.

Samit BasuToday  11:12 am JST

Japan did not pay damages, not a single yen of it. Not in 1965, not today, not ever.

The 1965 treaty doesn't cover damages, this is the cold hard fact.

LOL. Japan did pay. SK govt used it. This is a documented fact. The only way to prove they didn't is to comply with Article 3 arbitration. Japan requested it, SK refused. You have zero credibilty.

60% of S Koreans oppose Japan wartime labor dispute resolution.

This one sentence/headline define why it is so important to respect the quote

Treaty on Basic Relations Between Japan and the Republic of Korea signed June 22, 1965.

Treaty law provides the strict dispute resolution protocols.

It must be respected, no deals, which one government respects for the next to disavow/renege.

Moon Jae-in Government is directly responsible for picture above,

To wheel out these frail pensioners to stoke toxic division generation to generation is criminal abuse.

Sure she can say anything she wants and anyway she wants as there's nothing to prove her telling lies. The same old tactics without any third parties' testimonies just like cases of Comfort women, which, by the way, are being proven as all lies piled up on lies these days. No female on the Peninsula were mobilized by the law. All those Korean female who moved to Japan were volunteers for the jobs. There's no way she didn't know she had to work at the factory/farm before she left the peninsula. The same old disgusting tactics.

There's case for different Korean women girl whose testimony was disclosed at the court.

そのほか、当時隊員だった金文善はインタビューで東京麻糸紡績の求人に応募した動機について次のように述べている[37]。

「東京麻糸に韓国の監督さんがいて、その人が巨済島に募集にきたんです。前から、そこへ韓国の女の人がいっぱい働きに行ってたんですね。私のいとこの姉さんも行って、何年かしたらもどってきたの。そしたら、きれいな洋服着て、頭もちゃんとして、皮靴なんてはいてたんです。羨ましくて、『ああ、私も日本へ行きたい』って、思ったわけ。それで、日本へ行きたいもんだから、監督に会いに城浦(ソンポ)って町まで行ったわけ。そこの旅館みたいなところには、山奥からみんな集まってきていたんです。みんな、そこに泊まっただけでも嬉しくて、もう田舎には帰りたくない、そのまま、すぐにでも日本に行きたいなんて言ってました。

See? Like Comfort Women cases, there's no such process called fact-checking in Korean justice once defendants are Japan/Japanese companies.

The 1965 Treaty between Souh Korea and Japan states:

Article II

The Contracting Parties confirm that [the] problem concerning property, rights and interests of the two Contracting Parties and their nationals (including juridical persons) and concerning claims between the Contracting Parties and their nationals, including those provided for in Article IV, paragraph (a) of the Treaty of Peace with Japan signed at the city of San Francisco on September 8, 1951, is settled completely and finally.

The Treaty also makes clear that any difference in interpretation is be treated thusly:

Article III

.Any dispute which fails to be settled under the provision of paragraph 1 (diplomatic) shall be referred for decision to an arbitration board composed of three arbitrators, one to be appointed by the Government of each Contracting Party within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt by the Government of either Contracting Party from the Government of the other of a note requesting arbitration of the dispute, and the third arbitrator to be agreed upon by the two arbitrators so chosen within a further period of thirty days or the third arbitrator to be appointed by the government of a third country agreed upon within such further period by the two arbitrators, provided that the third arbitrator shall not be a national of either Contracting Party. 

Clearly, if the Treaty text did not cover compensation to Forced Laborers (indviduals) it would be easy for South Korea to win an arbitration ruling in their favor. However, despite Japan's request, they have refused. There can only e one reason for such refusal.

This is characteristic of South Korean behavior toward disputes, in that in the face of uncertainty in their legal position, they refuse to settle in an International Court and take matters into their own hands, The Liancourt Rocks dispute is a perfect example, where Japan has requested settlement at the ICJ and South Korea has refused three times, opting instead to occupy the islands unilaterally and claim them theirs.

Perhaps it is a characteristic of an immature still developing democratic society, or maybe there are just too many cases of hwabyeong but either way President Yoon is to be praised for making the effort to change the direction of his country for the sake of it's security and benefit.

Well grandma looks quite healthy with Treaty money that made sk chaeballs (spellings woefully wrong) Treaty has done it whether samit sk likes it or not Treaty means its done

The definition of " damage" that the poster naming himself after an Indian novelist samit basu is..." compensation for illegal mobilization based on illegal occupation" , which is the core of 2018 SK supreme court verdict. However, despite SK for a self-proclaimed civilized nation, its supreme court does this kind of unilateral jurisdiction over the international issue about 1910 annexation and doesn't feel shame at all. This kind of messy tantrum is so clear and simple that even elementary school kids would laugh off SK justice, and wonder " who the heck they think they are, ruling the world?"

Conscription was legal under wartime mobilization law then.　In the first place, these plaintiffs all volunteered for the jobs in Japan and none of them were actually forcibly mobilized/conscripted by red paper. SK never reports about those who happily returned back home with good salaries, regardless they were comfort women or wartime labors. There were many of those, that's why those plaintiffs like this Yang Geum-deok jumped on the offer.

Not only that SK has been dodging the proper manner as concluded by the treaty to set the record straight at International civilized stage of justice, but that they do nothing, only keep insisting on their own... I repeat, their own masturbating so-called supreme justice's verdict which has no jurisdiction over Japan or any other countries. Being pointed out as such, their only and very convenient excuse. SK, unlike Japan respects "separation of powers" SO WHAT?!!!! Are you the ruler of the world?

FYI, The Chief supreme court judge who brought this verdict in 2018 immediately retired to protect himself from all those backlash. COWARD!

Heck. a little girl from a humble family which otherwise wouldn't have been able to send her to the school

under Pre-Japan ruling era turned out to have become the class leader who showed good performance in both academics and athletics ( according to her ) under instruction of Japanese Sensei. Which so called colonies by Powers have this kind of story?

The point here is that 60% of South Koreans are not happy with Japan. Are the "documented facts" going to solve this problem?

What problem? Public opinion poll in a country heavily brainwashed by anti-Japan tribalism is not a problem for Japan as seen in a opinion poll 70% of Japanese believe, Japan should not make concessions just to improve the relation with such country.

"Imagine if your race was nearly wiped off planet Earth."

Are you referring to Koreans???

Hope NOT!

Japan paid reparations for the atrocities of occupation but the dictator who banked the cheque didn't hand out compensation to all of those who should have had it.

When nationalist politicians (in SK and JP) stir up antagonistic sentiment and hate to win votes, they need to realise that they can't then turn it off like a switch.

The point here is that 60% of South Koreans are not happy with Japan. Are the "documented facts" going to solve this problem?

Should read “only 35% of SK people agree”.

I can't understand the lack of empathy from the Japanese side on this. It's actually not about money. Korea's culture is similar to Japan's culture. They don't want some Western style document. They want a real apology. A deep, regretful, bowing and kowtowing apology. Hands and knees type stuff. Then, perhaps they will move forward. People talking about money and documents don't understand this. It's complicated. Imagine if your race was nearly wiped off planet Earth. It goes beyond individual pain for them. It's a collective pain. Were there corraborators? Yes. Was there "development"? Yes, whatever that means. Are there lies and hypocrisies? Absolutely. I can't understand Westerners that can so easily condemn Nazi Germany, yet not find parallels here in East Asia. A people that have suffered shouldn't have to give much explanation for their feelings. If they are irrational, haven't they earned to be irrational in a sense? I still don't think the average Japanese understands the intergenerational pain in that place or the violence I witnessed. An arms length apology with a Western document is not what's needed. Few places n the 20th century saw the destruction there that has reverberated through it's people. I breathed it. I saw it. Please tread lightly with these affairs and use the mind of forgiveness and understanding. Please be kind. Please reach out and try to understand.

@GBR48

Japan paid reparations for the atrocities of occupation

Japan absolutely did not. Japan claims its occupation of Korea was legal, thus all the "atrocities" it committed within Korea was legal.

This is the reason there is not a single instance of the word "damages" on the 1965, why damages weren't covered by the treaty.

Not only Japan did not pay any repetition for the damages resulting from its criminal occupation of Korea, but Japan denies its very occupation was illegal.

Can Japanese companies donate to this? Maybe that would help.

"Japan wartime labor" should read "Japan wartime slave labor," Its time the Government, industry, media and scholarship come to terms exactly with what imperial Japan did to the Korean people.

@Chibakun

I think S Korea has bigger problems than this issue that happened 70 years ago.

What happened 70 years ago is the root cause of all the problems in Korea.

@gokai_wo_maneku

Can Japanese companies donate to this? Maybe that would help.

Only the contributions by Mitsubishi and Nippon Steel are considered acceptable to the plaintiffs. They don't want anybody else's money.

@OssanJapan

When one considers that Japan did pay

Japan did not pay damages, not a single yen of it. Not in 1965, not today, not ever.

The 1965 treaty doesn't cover damages, this is the cold hard fact.

@OssanJapan

Japan did pay.

Yes, Japan did pay for savings, wages, and assets left behind in Japan. But not damages.

This is a documented fact. 

So where on the 1965 treaty does the word "damages"(損害賠償) appear?