Park urges Japan to resolve wartime sex slave issue

SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye urged Japan Friday to address a range of pending issues, especially Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II.

Park's remarks came during a meeting with a delegation of Japanese legislators led by Fukushiro Nukaga at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

The sex slave issue has long been a pressing concern of South Korea as many of the victims are well over 80 years old and could die before they receive a formal apology or compensation from Tokyo.

"A symbolic issue in relations between South Korea and Japan is the issue of the Japanese military's 'comfort women,' and this could be the first step for a new start in bilateral ties," Park said during the meeting, referring to the euphemistic term for the wartime sex slaves.

"I believe it is important not to repeat retrograde words and actions that hurt the hearts of the victims and the people in order to build trust and develop ties between the two countries."

The remarks of the Japanese lawmakers, who came to Seoul for a meeting with their South Korean counterparts, were not immediately available.

The sex slave issue was also a key topic when the Japanese national security adviser, Shotaro Yachi, met with his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin, on Tuesday.

Japan has been pushing to repair frayed bilateral relations and set up a summit of the two countries' top leaders. South Korea has said a summit could occur if Japan takes measures to demonstrate its sincerity on the sex slave issue.

Park has not met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe one-on-one since taking office more than 20 months ago.

Historians estimate that up to 200,000 Asian women, mostly Koreans, were forced into sexual servitude for Japan's World War II soldiers. Japan ruled the Korean Peninsula as a colony from 1910-45.

hague@yna.co.kr
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