Korea stepped up pressure on Japan to resolve the issue of its sexual enslavement of Asian women during World War II at the U.N. on Monday, as bilateral negotiations continue to make little headway.

At the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hee-jung tacitly urged Tokyo to face up to history and resolve the issue in line with its commitment to tackling violence against women. It was the first time for Seoul to raise the issue at the panel.

“I am encouraged to see how much progress has been made around the world in securing greater safety for women. But no such progress has been made regarding the thousands of women who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II,” she said in her keynote address at the meeting in New York. 

“We must face up to past wrongdoings in order to not repeat history, and to ensure that women and children can enjoy a peaceful future.”

As her ministry seeks to enlist documents related to the sex slavery as UNESCO heritage items, Kim boosted hopes for the registration process to be completed this year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the peninsula from Japanese rule and the foundation of the U.N.

She has long been leading the UNESCO drive since serving as a lawmaker. Shortly before the event, she held a meeting with Gay McDougall, a former U.N. special rapporteur who authored a landmark 1998 report detailing Japan’s “systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices” during the war.

“Because the issue of the so-called comfort women is directly linked with women’s human rights during conflict, which is a universal value, we should learn lessons through the materials that such a tragedy must not repeat again in human history,” the minister said at a news conference ahead of the U.N. meeting.

Seoul and Tokyo have had five rounds of director general-level talks since last April to end the dispute but apparently made little progress due to stark differences in their positions.

Seoul demands an official, sincere apology and compensation for the victims, while Tokyo claims the issue was settled in a 1965 agreement that normalized their testy bilateral ties.

“What our government is demanding is that Japan acknowledge its past misconduct, make a sincere apology and provide correct history education for future generations so that this will not occur again,” Kim added.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)