A foundation dedicated to help South Korean women sexually victimized by Japan during its colonial rule will not be launched as planned as more preparation time is needed, sources said Tuesday.

On Dec. 28, South Korea and Japan reached a deal in which Tokyo expressed an apology for its colonial-era atrocities and agreed to provide 1 billion yen ($9.6 million) for the foundation aimed at supporting the surviving victims, euphemistically called comfort women. The deal aims to put an end to the comfort women issue once and for all.

An 11-member preparatory committee was officially launched late last month to spearhead the opening of the envisioned foundation.

Originally the foundation was set to start work in end-June.

"It appears to be taking more time to make preparations for its launch," a source close to the matter told Yonhap News Agency.

"More time seems to be needed to complete the articles of incorporation and determine other details, such as how to secure money for its operation."

The source said on condition of anonymity that the official launch could be delayed "until mid-July, if not until August."

From the get-go, the preparatory committee has braced for a bumpy road as public opinion is divided on the controversial agreement reached in December.

The decision was hailed by the international community as a step in the right direction given that the comfort women issue has been a long-standing obstacle to ties between the two neighboring countries.

Victims and liberal civic groups blame the government for striking a deal lacking Japan's acknowledgment of legal responsibility. They also said the agreement was reached without prior consultation with the victims.

Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in front-line brothels for Japanese troops during World War II. Only 42 South Korean victims, mostly in their late 80s, are currently known to be alive.

Kim Tae-hyun, an honorary professor at Sungshin Women's University, who is leading the committee, earlier said that the priority is to heal the scars of the victims and help recover their dignity, adding that communication should come first in order to realize the objective.

She, however, caused a stir by saying that the money to be provided by Japan should be regarded as "healing money," not as indemnification, a remark that possibly contradicted Seoul government's stance that it can been seen as compensation since Tokyo apologized and took responsibility for its military atrocities. (Yonhap)