South Korean comfort women foundation dissolved

July 5, 2019

Seoul, July 5 (Jiji Press)--A South Korean foundation for supporting former wartime comfort women in the country, established under a Japan-South Korea accord, has been liquidated officially, foundation officials said Friday.

The South Korean government notified the foundation on Wednesday of the completion of registry-related procedures to dissolve the body, according to the officials.

The Japanese government on Friday lodged a protest with the South Korean government over the foundation's dissolution through diplomatic channels in Tokyo and Seoul.

Japan has contributed one billion yen to the foundation, set up under the December 2015 landmark bilateral agreement to resolve the issue of South Korean women forced into prostitution for Japanese troops before and during World War II.

Tokyo has called on Seoul to implement the agreement steadily, and has repeatedly said it cannot accept liquidation of the foundation.

In a press conference in Tokyo on Friday, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said, "We strongly conveyed to the South Korean side that our country views the situation as a problem."

At the same time, Nishimura said Tokyo has been told by Seoul that the latest registry-related move does not mean the completion of all procedures needed for dissolving the foundation.

While the administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in does not intend to renegotiate the bilateral agreement, it says that the accord, concluded under the previous administration, is inadequate for resolving the issue.

In November last year, South Korea's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced a plan to dissolve the foundation, and in January this year it revoked its approval for the foundation.

On Tuesday, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha once again criticized the bilateral deal. She said Seoul recognizes that efforts made so far have severely lacked a victim-centered approach.Jiji Press