“Korea Council for Unification Movement (KCUM)” is a civic organization that works to remind Korean modern and contemporary history and for peace and reunification. The Busan Branch of KCUM has carried out various activities in Busan, such as campaigns, signature drives, and exhibitions, to resolve the issue of “Sexual slavery victims for the Japanese imperial army.” On December 28th, 2016, KCUM took the lead in establishing the Statue of Peace in front of the Consulate-General of Japan and conducted a movement against the rearmament of the Japanese army, which threatened peace without reflecting on its war crimes.

On March 20th, "Channel PNU" met with a representative student of the Busan Branch of KCUM, Lee Seung-Min (Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 18), at a café near PNU to hear his thoughts on President Yoon's proposed legislation to address the issue of the victims of forced mobilization under Japanese colonialism in Korea.

Q. How did you feel when you first heard about this resolution?

A. It was hard to believe and depressing. The resolution that kills the victims who have fought for everything they have for decades has been announced. It can only be seen as an insult to the victims who have fought to recover their lost honor and time. The victims firmly reject the third-party compensation proposal, saying that they don't need the money that Japan gives them as consolation. It is too infuriating that the resolution, opposed by the victims and the entire nation, is being pushed forward.

Q. What is the drawback with the forced labor resolution

A. The resolution itself is the issue. The current resolution is not the one agreed upon with Japan, but rather one that Korea proposed first. The current resolution is a third-party compensation proposal where Korean companies compensate the victims instead of holding Japanese companies accountable for their wartime forced labor practices. This proposal was rejected by Yang Geum-Deok who is a sexual slavery victim for the Japanese imperial army during negotiations with Mitsubishi, yet Korea re-proposed it. The voice of the victims who have been demanding apologies and compensation from the Japanese government and perpetrators for decades is being completely ignored, and instead, the Korean government is taking the lead in absolving Japan of responsibility and giving them an amnesty. In 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court recognized the responsibility of Japanese companies for compensation to the victims of forced labor. I think it is a severe violation of judicial sovereignty for the President to deny such a ruling.

Q. What do you think about the “Future Youth Fund” included in the forced labor resolution?

A. The “Future Youth Fund” is a scheme to provide financial support to young people, regardless of the issue of apology and compensation for forced labor. I believe it is a trick to cover up the essence of the bill and package it as a forward-looking decision. The tears of the victims of forced labor have no place in the future that the Yoon administration is talking about. The Yoon administration sees young people as “Beings who can be bought with money,” even if it comes from selling out the country, and as “Beings who don't mind receiving money instead of apology and compensation for the victims of forced labor.”

Q. There are also reactions such as “I thought it was announced by the Japanese government” regarding the proposal for the forced labor resolution.

A. I think this is a very natural reaction, as the resolution only represents Japan's perspective. The Korean government did not represent the victims or the ruling of the Supreme Court. While it may be argued that it is for the national interest, I wonder what kind of national interest is being served for Korea. There are concerns about what more Korea will have to give up in the future under the pretext of improving Korea-Japan relations. It is so obvious that even the Japanese government did not expect the Korean government to make such a concession.

Q. The Yoon administration says it inherits the spirit of the Kim Dae-Jung-Obuchi declaration. Do you think the Yoon administration respects the declaration?

A. I do not think that inheritance has been achieved. The Kim Dae-Jung-Obuchi declaration was a meeting that formalized Japan's apology and reflection on colonial rule. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has refused to reread the statement of the Kim Dae-Jung-Obuchi declaration and continues to include the previous cabinet's stance on historical perception, including the 1998 Japan-South Korea Joint Declaration. This previous cabinet stance includes the stance of far-right factions in Japan. Previous Japanese far-right governments have included the view that colonial rule over Korea was legitimate and labeled independence activists who sacrificed their lives for independence as criminals. They have also continued to deny the issue of "Sexual slavery victims for the Japanese imperial army" and “forced labor.” I think that the fact that they have stated that they inherit the previous cabinet's stance means that the position of Japan's right-wing factions, who have been justifying colonial rule, has been fully accepted.

Q. What do you think about President Yoon giving up the right to claim compensation for forced labor and pursuing to improve diplomatic relations with Japan?

A. Giving up the right to claim compensation for forced labor is essentially denying the judicial decision that recognized the responsibility of the corporations involved in front of the Japanese Prime Minister. This is a severe violation of judicial sovereignty and a violation of the principle of separation of powers by the President, who is the head of state. I think it is an unconstitutional action that ignores the decision of the Supreme Court and the principle of separation of powers, and it raises doubts about whether any country can respect the judicial sovereignty of South Korea.

Q. How would you evaluate the South Korea-Japan Summit on March 16th?

A. Korea-Japan Summit on March 16th was a summit formed in exchange for the forced labor resolution. There was no apology or remorse regarding the issue of forced labor, and Japan consistently maintained a shameless attitude of denying the existence of forced labor. This can only be seen as Japan's distorted historical perception that "colonial rule was legal" in front of the president of South Korea, and it is disgraceful. Our national interests were nowhere to be found in this summit meeting. We gained nothing, and it was a summit that was thoroughly geared toward Japan's national interests. It was nothing like receiving a list of demands, including the implementation of the agreement on Sexual slavery victims for the Japanese imperial army, sovereignty over Dokdo, and the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima. It is worrisome how our government showed "collaborative diplomacy" in giving up everything and how it will resolve future issues.

Q. What do you think about the government's "future-oriented" diplomacy?

A. There is no future that can be gained by selling off the past. President Yoon's "future-oriented" statement cannot hide or sell off the past, and there is nothing that can be gained by doing so. It is questionable who is even included in President Yoon's future. The future that was created by trampling on the victims of forced labor who have fought for decades is not the right future. I firmly reject the historical perception of the President, who claims to be "future-oriented.”

Reporter Im Hyeon-Gyu

Translated by Seo Hae-Seong