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South Korea and Japan plan to hold talks on Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II early next week, a major stumbling block to the improvement of their bilateral ties, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.
Lee Sang-deok, Seoul's chief delegate to the talks, will meet with his Japanese counterpart Junichi Ihara on Monday in Tokyo in their sixth round of talks to discuss the issue of the so-called "comfort women", according to the foreign ministry.
In April, the two historical rivals launched the talks on the sex slavery, but no major progress has been made as Japan has been reluctant to sincerely apologize for the issue.
The planned meeting comes as the two countries are seeking to improve their strained ties as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of their bilateral relations. The new year also marks the 70th anniversary of Seoul's liberation from Tokyo's colonial rule in 1945.
The Seoul-Tokyo ties have plunged to the lowest levels in recent years mainly due to the sex slavery issue. Historians estimate the number of such sex slaves at about 200,000 with only about 50 South Korean victims alive today.
Japan angered Seoul and Beijing, victims of Tokyo's wartime aggression, in June by saying that its 1993 apology over the sex slavery issue, named the Kono Statement, was the outcome of a political compromise between Seoul and Tokyo.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will express remorse over Japan's role in the war in his fresh statement that will come on Aug. 15 to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat of World War II.
But many analysts predict that the premier will not apologize for the sex slavery issue and may water down the spirit of Japan's 1995 apology for Japan's colonial rule, named the Murayama Statement.
Since taking office in early 2013, South Korean President Park Geun-hye has shunned a summit with Abe as a show of anger against Tokyo's refusal to atone for its historical wrongdoings.
In her New Year press conference on Monday, Park urged Japan to face up to history, warning that the issue could be a "big burden" on Japan unless it is quickly resolved. (Yonhap)
Lee Sang-deok, Seoul's chief delegate to the talks, will meet with his Japanese counterpart Junichi Ihara on Monday in Tokyo in their sixth round of talks to discuss the issue of the so-called "comfort women", according to the foreign ministry.
In April, the two historical rivals launched the talks on the sex slavery, but no major progress has been made as Japan has been reluctant to sincerely apologize for the issue.
The planned meeting comes as the two countries are seeking to improve their strained ties as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of their bilateral relations. The new year also marks the 70th anniversary of Seoul's liberation from Tokyo's colonial rule in 1945.
The Seoul-Tokyo ties have plunged to the lowest levels in recent years mainly due to the sex slavery issue. Historians estimate the number of such sex slaves at about 200,000 with only about 50 South Korean victims alive today.
Japan angered Seoul and Beijing, victims of Tokyo's wartime aggression, in June by saying that its 1993 apology over the sex slavery issue, named the Kono Statement, was the outcome of a political compromise between Seoul and Tokyo.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will express remorse over Japan's role in the war in his fresh statement that will come on Aug. 15 to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat of World War II.
But many analysts predict that the premier will not apologize for the sex slavery issue and may water down the spirit of Japan's 1995 apology for Japan's colonial rule, named the Murayama Statement.
Since taking office in early 2013, South Korean President Park Geun-hye has shunned a summit with Abe as a show of anger against Tokyo's refusal to atone for its historical wrongdoings.
In her New Year press conference on Monday, Park urged Japan to face up to history, warning that the issue could be a "big burden" on Japan unless it is quickly resolved. (Yonhap)
