United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gueterres has expressed his support for a deal between South Korea and Japan over wartime sex slaves, Japanese news media said Sunday, despite controversy surrounding the agreement that has worsened bilateral ties.

In his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G-7 summit Saturday, Guterres said he “supports and welcomes” the 2015 deal designed to resolve dispute over sex slavery, the Kyodo News Agency reported, citing the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The remark appears to contradict a suggestion in a report released two weeks ago by the UN Committee Against Torture, which recommended changes to the deal. The agreement has been criticized in Korea for falling short on eliciting a sincere apology from Japan and supporting surviving victims of sexual slavery

The UN human rights watchdog said the deal should be “modified to ensure that the surviving victims of sexual slavery during World War II are provided with redress, including the right to compensation and rehabilitation and the right to truth, reparation and assurances of non-repetitions.”

Under the deal, Japan agreed to deliver an apology for its colonial-era atrocities, launch a foundation to help the victims and contribute 1 billion yen ($9.97 million) to the entity. The victims and their supporters, however, have called the agreement a hastily arranged deal that does not sufficiently take account of the victims’ opinions.

Last Monday, the Japanese government lodged a protest against the UN, saying the report about sex slavery was “untrue and inappropriate” -- a position that has long been held by Abe, who claimed that Japan has never engaged in forceful recruitment of young Korean women into sexual slavery.

Reiterating that the deal was “final and irreversible,” Tokyo claimed that the agreement had even attracted supports from the third parties -- including the US government and former UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who described the deal as “courageous decision” to end bilateral animosity.

Since taking office, President Moon Jae-in has expressed disapproval of the deal. During his first phone call with Abe on May 11, Moon told his counterpart that most South Koreans cannot accept the agreement because of emotional resistance.

Moon’s special envoy to Japan, Rep. Moon Hee Sang, also struck the same tone during his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on May 17. Kishida was said to express his intention to properly manage bilateral issues, including the sex slavery deal, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

After wrapping up his visit to Japan on May 20, the envoy said both parties agreed to address the issue “in a future-oriented manner,” indicating that the government should seek a different approach than renegotiation or annulment of the deal.

“We did not mention scrapping the agreement, but made it clear that most South Koreans cannot accept the deal,” the envoy said. “I was under the impression that things would work out. … I’m confident the issue will not disrupt Korea-Japan ties.”

On his campaign trail, President Moon had vowed to scrap the sex slavery agreement struck by former President Park Geun-hye in 2015.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)