At a recent UN meeting focused on women's rights, it was revealed that Japan's representative denied the historical existence of "comfort women," calling the claims baseless.
During the same meeting, the North Korean representative engaged in a heated exchange with Japan, but South Korea's representative remained silent. Our team asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs why South Korea stayed quiet, and this report by Na Se-ung brings the details.
On October 9, during the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee session, which focused on women’s rights, North Korea’s representative demanded a sincere apology and compensation from Japan for its wartime sexual slavery involving "comfort women."
Kim Song, North Korea's ambassador to the UN, stated: "Around 200,000 women and girls from the Korean Peninsula were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese government and military during the occupation."
Japan’s representative quickly responded, denying these claims, calling them "baseless and incorrect." The Japanese side asserted that every nation must confront its history truthfully, and claimed Japan had done so.
Masako Kamiya, a special advisor for Japan, stated: "The statements made by North Korea regarding Japan are incorrect and lack evidence."
A back-and-forth ensued, with North Korea repeatedly refuting Japan’s claims, insisting that Japan’s historical crimes could not be erased or altered. Japan also countered, denying all accusations and reaffirming their stance.
Despite having the opportunity to speak, South Korea’s representative remained silent throughout the session. The UN meeting was recorded and available for public viewing, but it did not gain much attention within South Korea.
When asked why South Korea chose not to respond, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited the 2015 Korea-Japan "Comfort Women" agreement, labeling it as an official accord between the two nations. The agreement included a pledge to avoid criticism on the issue in international forums.
Kwon Chil-seung, a member of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, expressed frustration: "By staying silent while Japan denies historical facts about 'comfort women,' South Korea effectively supports Japan’s distortion of history."
A government task force, which reviewed the 2015 agreement two years after it was signed, had previously clarified that the deal did not prevent South Korea from addressing the issue as a universal human rights matter in international venues like the UN.
A former high-ranking diplomat with extensive UN experience suggested that the South Korean government could have simply addressed the factual aspects of the issue, considering it from a human rights perspective.
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