Foreign minister to meet delegation from Korean residents' union in Japan

South Korea's foreign minister will meet leaders from a union of Korean residents in Japan on Monday to listen to their views on the relations between the two neighbors long plagued by historical and territorial feuds, his office said.

Yun Byung-se plans to meet a delegation of the Korean Residents Union, also known as Mindan, later in the day, according to the foreign ministry. The meeting was arranged at the request of the union.

This marked the first time since Aug 2013 that Yun is officially meeting Mindan representatives. 

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)

Mindan is a pro-Seoul organization which was established in 1946, a year after Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, to protect the rights and interests of Koreans living in Japan.

During the meeting, the Mindan representatives are expected to deliver the views of the Korean residents in Japan on the relations between the two countries in view of recent developments on the diplomatic front. 

Diplomatic tensions have flared up, as Tokyo is voicing a strong protest against a recently erected girl statue symbolizing Japan's wartime sexual slavery of Korean women in front of its consulate in the southern port city of Busan.

In mid-January, Japan recalled Yasumasa Nagamine, its ambassador to South Korea, in protest. There have been no indications that he will return to Seoul any time soon. (Yonhap)