Reconciliation and Healing Foundation

Government of Republic of Korea launched a fund, named Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, for restoring honor of former comfort women, who had been victims of sexual exploitation of Imperial Japanese military during World War II. Japanese government has pledged to offer ¥1 billion, which is expected to be implemented as soon as next month. Nevertheless, the deal based on the agreement of both governments last December cannot be the final solution of the issue at all.

Japan and ROK agreed on mutual effort to heal the sentiment of former comfort women by establishing new fund, in which Korean government would take approach to them and Japanese government would pay for it. It was based on the lesson of Asian Women’s Fund in 1995, which was not received by most former comfort women with skepticism on Japanese government not apologizing on its deed in the past. This time, ROK government is involved in the reconciliation.

The entity is headed by Kim Tae-hyun, Professor Emeritus of Sungshin Women’s University. Kim reported that most of 37 former comfort women, who he met with, had offered support for the fund in his press conference on Thursday. Young students broke into the room before the press conference, protesting establishment of the foundation, and splashed unidentified liquid on Kim when he leaving after the conference. Kim was sent to a hospital.

There remains firm opposition in South Korea against finalizing comfort woman issue without clear apology from Japan. Some protesters are frustrated with the agreement of both governments, which was not regarded as based on the intention of former comfort women. ¥1 billion offer of Japan for the fund is properly recognized in South Korea as compensation on the war crime.

Japanese government never approves that reasoning. It insists on a notion that all the compensation was legally finished with a bilateral agreement on settlement of problems in 1965. For Japanese government, offered money for the fund is absolutely a support for South Korean government that is making effort of persuading former comfort women.

Japanese government expects removal of a statue of comfort woman in front of Japanese Embassy in Seoul, in accordance with the December agreement. In the situation of firm protest on establishing the fund, however, it is mostly impossible for South Korean government to implement that agreement soon. Some conservatives in Japan argue that Japan should not transfer that ¥1 billion as long as the statue remains. The decision of establishment of the fund might be too early.