27-04-2025
Aide to South Korean candidate suggests review of wartime labor solution
Wi Sung-lac, a South Korean lawmaker who advises presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on diplomacy, has offered the view that the solution offered by the country's previous administration to resolve the wartime labor issue with Japan needs to be reviewed in some way.
In a recent interview, Wi said the solution lacks public consensus and should be supplemented if possible.
However, Wi said that if Lee, former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, wins the June 3 presidential election, his new administration will focus on cooperation with the United States and Japan, which share South Korea's liberal democratic values.
The administration of then-South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced a plan to have a Seoul-affiliated foundation pay compensation to Korean plaintiffs in wartime labor lawsuits on behalf of Japanese companies sued by them.
Wi said that while he understands the direction the previous government had tried to take in offering a solution, there are some aspects that are difficult for the public to support. He added that this is a sensitive historical issue and that a process to hear the public's opinions was necessary.
Wi did not provide specifics on the review of the solution but said that a Lee administration might discuss historical issues more than the Yoon administration.
At the same time, there are many ways that Japan and South Korea can cooperate on security and other issues, Wi said, emphasizing that historical discussions will not restrict current or future cooperation.
A former diplomat, Wi served as South Korea's chief delegate to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear development program and as South Korean ambassador to Russia.
Wi said that a firm South Korea-U.S. alliance, Seoul's strong partnership with Tokyo and South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation will be the core of Lee's foreign policy if he comes to power.
Meanwhile, Wi criticized the Yoon administration for placing too much emphasis on the United States and Japan, saying that South Korea's relations with China and Russia are at their worst.
South Korea's geopolitical situation makes it difficult for the country to do away with its relations with neighboring countries and a comprehensive response is necessary, Wi said, expressing his desire to improve relations with China and Russia.
To resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, Wi stressed the importance of negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang and those between Seoul and Pyongyang, as well as those of multilateral frameworks.
