S. Korean minister urges Japan to make 'political decision' over forced labor issue

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (right) meets bilaterally with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, in Munich on the sidelines of a security conference on Saturday. (Yonhap)

MUNICH -- South Korea's top diplomat met with his Japanese counterpart and called for Tokyo to make a "political decision" to resolve the issue of how to compensate Korean victims of wartime forced labor under 2018 rulings by Seoul's Supreme Court.

Foreign Minister Park Jin had the one-on-one talks with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, in Munich on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Following the 35-minute meeting, Park told reporters that the two sides had sufficient discussions on "major points in dispute" regarding the thorny matter.

He added he had "urged the Japanese side to make a political decision for a sincere response."

"Now that we understand each other's position, what remains to be seen are political decisions," he stressed.

In December last year, Seoul formally floated the idea to compensate victims through a public foundation, an alternative to direct compensation from Japanese firms that had put Korean workers into forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.

The victims and their family members, however, have rejected the idea, calling for Japan's sincere apology and direct involvement of the Japanese companies in the compensation process.

Last week, vice foreign ministers of the two countries held consultations in Washington, DC, on the issue.

"We are still trying to find common ground," Cho Hyun-dong, South Korea's first vice foreign minister, said after the session.

The issue has long been a sticking point in the relations between Seoul and Tokyo, though the two neighbors have recently stepped up efforts to improve security cooperation against North Korea's provocations and threats.

Japan has claimed all reparation issues related to the 1910-45 colonial rule were already settled under a 1965 bilateral treaty to normalize diplomatic relations. (Yonhap)