S. Korea-Japan ties plunge on differing views on measures to resolve compensation for Korean victims of forced labor

Looking for a possible solution to the compensation of the South Korean victims of wartime forced labor under Japanese colonial rule,... experts have proposed the possibility of establishing a foundation funded by companies from both countries. The Japanese government, however, is said to be reluctant.Kim Hyo-sun reports. Lawyers representing South Korean victims who were conscripted as laborers during Japan's colonial rule seven decades ago,... have urged the country's steelmaker Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal to provide compensation. "If we confirm the company is not willing to agree on the terms, we'll have no choice but to seize its assets in Korea." Recent rulings by South Korea's Supreme Court in favor of the victims have rocked Seoul-Tokyo relations.The Japanese government insists the ruling placed the issue of wartime Korean laborers outside the scope of the 1965 Japan-Korea agreement on compensation.Experts on Korea-Japan relations say a possible solution could be a foundation funded by the South Korean government as well as corporations from the two countries. "The Korean government should fund the foundation because it was compensated in accordance to the 1965 treaty. Having companies from both Seoul and Tokyo pay for it could help resolve the conflict."South Korea's POSCO, which was formed from the five-hundred million U.S. dollars Tokyo paid Seoul in compensation, as well as Japan's Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have been mentioned as firms that should fund the foundation. However, the Japanese government appears reluctant,... saying it cannot force the companies to provide funds and it might not guarantee a permanent solution to the issue.Meanwhile,... right-wing activists in Japan have once again been taking to the streets for anti-Korea protests following the Supreme Court's ruling on the issue in late October.Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.