S Korea allows new ‘comfort women’ statue

AFP, SEOUL: The southern South Korean port of Busan said Friday it would allow activists to place a statue symbolising victims of Japanese wartime sex slavery outside the city’s Japanese consulate.
The municipal authorities had previously removed the “comfort woman” statue, but changed track after Japan’s hawkish defence minister offered prayers at a controversial war shrine in Tokyo.
Tomomi Inada’s visit on Thursday to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors millions of mostly Japanese war dead—but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes—swiftly drew flack from China and South Korea.Activists had first placed their statue outside the consulate on Wednesday—marking their opposition to a South Korea-Japan agreement reached a year ago to finally resolve the comfort women issue.
Under the accord, which both countries described as “final and irreversible,” Japan offered an apology and a one-billion yen ($8.3 million) payment to surviving Korean comfort women.
Critics said the deal did not go far enough in holding Japan responsible for its wartime abuses.

 

S Korea allows new comfort women statue

AFP, SEOUL: The southern South Korean port of Busan said Friday it would allow activists to place a statue symbolising victims of Japanese wartime sex slavery outside the citys Japanese consulate. The municipal authorities had previously removed the comfort woman statue, but changed track after Japans hawkish defence minister offered prayers at a controversial war shrine in Tokyo. Tomomi Inadas visit on Thursday to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors millions of mostly Japanese war deadbut also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimesswiftly drew flack from China and South Korea.Activists had first placed their statue outside the consulate on Wednesdaymarking their opposition to a South Korea-Japan agreement reached a year ago to finally resolve the comfort women issue. Under the accord, which both countries described as final and irreversible, Japan offered an apology and a one-billion yen ($8.3 million) payment to surviving Korean comfort women. Critics said the deal did not go far enough in holding Japan responsible for its wartime abuses.