Japan's comfort women fund used in running support foundation: lawmaker

A lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party said Monday part of the fund provided by the Japanese government to the victims of sexual enslavement during the colonial period (1910-45) was used to run the foundation created to support the victims.

"The government has been claiming that fund will be used for the victims only. It is inappropriate to allocate the fund for the operational costs of the foundation," Rep. Park Ju-min of the Democratic Party claimed.
 

A statue of a girl symbolizing former Korean sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II is seen wearing a scarf and a woolen hat in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Seoul in this file photo taken on on Feb. 22, 2017. (Yonhap)

South Korea and Japan reached a deal on Dec. 28, 2015, under which Tokyo apologized and agreed to provide 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) for the creation of a foundation aimed at helping the victims, euphemistically called comfort women.

The lawmaker said of the total, 535 million won was used for the operation of the foundation instead of going to the victims.

The foundation countered that only a minimum amount of the fund has been allocated to operations. (Yonhap)