S. Korea's Lee urges Japan to redress issue of former sex slaves SEOUL (Kyodo)

Lee Comfort women issue prompted visit to Dokdo. CSF Rieti.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak says Japan's reluctance to address the issue of so-called comfort women prompted his visit to disputed islets in the Sea of Japan. Both Japan and South Korea claim sovereignty of the group of islets, known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan. Lee said he had been planning the visit since 2009. He said he tried to make the trip last year but was prevented by bad weather. The president said he decided to take action after last December's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in Kyoto. At the talks, Noda demanded the removal of a monument to South Korean women forced into brothels to work for Japanese soldiers during World War Two. Lee said he was unhappy with Noda's reluctance to resolve the issue. Lee said he had anticipated the Japanese reaction to his visit. He also said Japan's influence in the international community has changed. Observers say Lee's visit may also have been prompted by public opinion. A government poll taken after Lee's visit suggests that nearly 85 percent of public approved of the trip. About 12 percent expressed concern about negative consequences, including diplomatic friction with Japan. Aug. 13, 2012 - Updated 22:54 UTC (07:54 JST)     http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120815p2g00m0dm052000c.html   S. Korea's Lee urges Japan to redress issue of former sex slaves SEOUL (Kyodo)  -- President Lee Myung Bak on Wednesday urged Japan to redress the issue of so-called "comfort women," mostly Korean, who were forced into wartime brothels for the Japanese military. "I call on Japan to take a responsible action (on the enforced sex slave issue)," Lee said in a speech made at a ceremony to celebrate Liberation Day, which marks Korea's independence from Japan's 1910 to 1945 colonial rule with Japan's defeat in World War II. "The comfort women issue goes beyond bilateral relations and is an issue of wartime women and human rights that goes against universal values and a correct view of history," Lee said at the ceremony held in central Seoul. Lee also said "the chains tied to the past history are delaying the development of bilateral relations and also stability of Northeast Asia in the future." Lee stressed the importance of Japan to South Korea, saying Japan is "a close neighbor with which South Korea shares the same values and a partner to open the future together." Lee, whose single five-year term ends early next year, triggered a diplomatic storm with Japan last Friday by making an unprecedented visit to a group of South Korean-controlled isles in the Sea of Japan that have long been claimed by Japan. The islets are collectively known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan. In Wednesday's speech, Lee made no mention of his visit to the islets. August 15, 2012(Mainichi Japan) http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120810p2a00m0na018000c.html  South Korean President Lee seeks to regain public support via visit to disputed islets SEOUL -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's surprise visit to Takeshima (Dokdo in Korean), a group of islets controlled by South Korea but claimed by Japan, appears aimed at raising his centripetal force ahead of the 67th anniversary on Aug. 15 of the end of World War II, liberating the Korean Peninsula from Japan's colonial rule. South Korean ministers and national lawmakers have previously visited the islets before the Aug. 15 anniversary, when each South Korean president addresses the nation, or before general elections. When three Japanese lawmakers of the largest opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) tried to fly to South Korea to inspect Ulleung Island, the administrative and military base for the disputed islets, in August last year, South Korea denied them entry. The case prompted calls among the South Korean public for the president to visit the islets. A senior South Korean government official said at a news conference at the time that the president can visit there anytime. But South Korea opted not to realize a presidential visit there, believing there is no need to arouse public opinion. But public sentiment against Japan has worsened over the issue of so-called "comfort women" enslaved by the Imperial Japanese Army during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the peninsula. President Lee raised the comfort women issue in summit talks with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in December last year. His visit to the islets seems to reflect Seoul's frustrations in its dealings with Tokyo. Many see Lee as a lame duck president whose term of office expires in February next year. He has been tainted by money scandals involving his elder brother and aides. His approval ratings have dropped to the 20 percent range. A person involved in Japan-South Korean relations expressed surprise at Lee's visit, saying, "The weather is stable and I thought anybody may go there but not the president." He speculated that the president wants to bolster his administration in an attempt to raise his public support ratings before the Aug. 15 anniversary. A South Korean government official registered surprise at the president's visit, saying the trip may be interpreted as a courageous step in the eyes of the public but lead to a suspension of dialogue with Japan for the time being. There is also a view that one aide after another are leaving the president and credible policy advisers are no longer around him. In Tokyo, Japanese ministers and government officials questioned Lee's motive and expressed grave concern about potentially aggravating bilateral relations. Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto said at a news conference that Lee's actions will not force the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces to quickly react to his visit. He said he thought Lee made the trip out of domestic considerations. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano said, "There is no doubt the visit could have adverse effects" on suspended negotiations on a bilateral economic partnership agreement. Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Yuichiro Hata said the Japan Coast Guard under his ministry's jurisdiction has no plans in connection with the presidential visit. Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Hirofumi Hirano said he believes the Foreign Ministry and other ministries will strongly protest the visit. A senior official at Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's office said, "President Lee remains a lame duck even if he visits Takeshima." A high-ranking government official wondered if there may be some connection between bronze-medal matches between Japan and South Korea in women's volleyball and men's soccer at the London Olympics and Lee's visit to Takeshima. August 10, 2012(Mainichi Japan) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201208110058

Lee’s visit to Takeshima came like bolt out of the blue for Japan Previous Article Japan to submit Takeshima territorial dispute to ICJ Next Article Hong Kong group departs for Senkaku Islands on a fishing boat August 11, 2012 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN As far as Japan is concerned, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak crossed the line, and in doing so threw relations with Japan into a tailspin. In a nutshell, Lee broke an unwritten understanding when he landed Aug. 10 on one of the disputed Takeshima islets in the Sea of Japan to bolster South Korea's claim of sovereignty. Former presidents of South Korea had refrained from making such visits, thereby keeping relations with Japan cordial. Tokyo lodged a strong protest and recalled its ambassador to South Korea, Masatoshi Muto, to express its displeasure over a visit that came like a bolt out of the blue. The development also poses a problem for the ruling Democratic Party of Japan headed by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, which is also battling territorial claims with China and Russia. The Takeshima islets are called Dokdo in Korean. The rocky outcrops lie 157 kilometers northwest of Japan's Oki island chain. In 1905, Japan announced it was incorporating Takeshima as part of its territory, prompting Shimane Prefecture to issue a notification that the islands were under its jurisdiction. In 1952, South Korean President Syngman Rhee asserted that the islands were under his country's control with the so-called Syngman Rhee Line serving as a boundary in the open sea. Since 1954, South Korea has stationed military personnel on the islands on a permanent basis, putting them effectively under its control. Lee first went to Ulleungdo island, about 90 kilometers west of Takeshima, before heading to the disputed territory. On Ulleungdo, he said: "Ever since I assumed the post (of president in 2008), I had thought I would go (to Dokdo). But I had not been able to do so." Lee's political grandstanding is at odds with his oft-stated remarks that South Korea should seek future-oriented relations with Japan. An aide noted that Lee previously ripped out any criticisms of Japan that appeared in speeches written for him. According to a high-ranking official of the South Korean presidential office, Lee suddenly decided on the morning of Aug. 9 that he would visit Takeshima the following day. "He did not solicit any opinions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade," the official said. There is speculation that Lee decided to make the visit in protest over a continuing lack of progress on the "comfort women" issue, which has been an open thorn in relations with Japan and the cause of a rupture in summit talks between the two countries late last year. The issue concerns women who were forced to provide sex for Imperial Japanese Army soldiers during World War II. In August 2011, the South Korean constitutional court ruled that former comfort women have a right to seek damage compensation from the Japanese government as individuals and that Seoul is acting unconstitutionally by not having diplomatic talks with Japan to help them. The South Korean government responded by stepping up diplomatic pressure on Japan to resolve the issue. But Japan would not budge, on grounds the issue had been "legally resolved." An aide to Lee said: "Our president still hopes that, irrespective of legal resolutions, Japan will take measures to soften the feelings (of former comfort women). Wondering why Japan cannot do that, he has developed a growing distrust of Japan." Another reason for Lee's decision may lie in the fact that pro-Japan officials have vanished one after another from his inner circle. Last month, Kim Tae-hyo, a top national security aide in charge of external affairs who maintained close contacts with the Japanese government, was forced to resign over moves to enhance military cooperation with Japan. This left the Lee administration without a single aide to advise it on policies toward Japan. This, in turn, left Lee with more aides advising on domestic political issues. One of them had been pushing Lee to visit Takeshima. Lee clearly had domestic issues in mind when he decided to visit Takeshima. His administration has been rocked by a series of arrests of people close to him, including his elder brother who had served as chairman of the South Korea-Japan parliamentary league. "President Lee knows that his visit to Dokdo will not lead to rise in the support rate for him. But the series of scandals no doubt were a factor in his decision as he wanted to divert the people's attention to another issue," said an indivual who previously advised Lee on policies toward Japan. The Japanese government was caught completely off-guard by Lee's visit. "We had never thought the president would land on Takeshima," said a high-ranking Japanese government official on the morning of Aug. 10. Japanese officials only got an inkling of Lee's plans the previous evening. When the Japanese Foreign Ministry got wind of it, it ordered Muto, the ambassador, along with other officials to call the Blue House presidential office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Seoul for confirmation. Some high-ranking officials in Seoul did not even bother to take the calls. It was apparent that relations between the two countries had stalled. Bilateral relations have been tense for the past year or so. In March 2011, South Korea voiced its annoyance over passages in junior high school textbooks describing Takeshima as Japanese territory following official screening by the education ministry. In December, relations deteriorated further when the comfort women issue became a major point of contention at bilateral summit talks. In January this year, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba mentioned Takeshima in a speech on diplomatic policy. This elicited a sharp protest from South Korea. In June, South Korea was scheduled to sign the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), which stipulates a procedural framework for exchanging military information between the two countries. However, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade postponed the signing at the last minute due to domestic opposition. Given this background, the government concluded it must adopt a more hard-line stance against South Korea. On the afternoon on Aug. 10, Genba summoned South Korean Ambassador Shin Kak-soo to his office in Tokyo and lodged a strong protest over the visit. Genba also recalled Muto to Japan temporarily, and told him that the government will take appropriate measures against the visit in due course. That same evening, Genba called South Korean Foreign and Trade Minister Kim Sung-hwan and told him bluntly, "Every time a situation arises from now on will be South Korea's fault." "Territorial issues are important," said a high-ranking Japanese government official. "But they are only a part of Japan-South Korea relations. We do not want bilateral relations to become critically bad." That sentiment seems to be holding up. Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said they hope, in spite of Tokyo's protest, bilateral relations will not sour completely. In the field of diplomacy, Lee's visit has come at a bad time for Noda, who is losing support among DPJ lawmakers. Japan also is locked in a bitter dispute with China over sovereignty of the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea. Noda's announcement that the government will purchase the uninhabited islands, which are held privately, incensed China. Japan's relations with Moscow also nosedived after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited the disputed Northern Territories off eastern Hokkaido. Japan's relations with the United States are also in a state of flux over the deployment of Osprey transportation aircraft in Japan, which has triggered howls of local protest. "Clearly, Lee thought he could take advantage of the situation Japan finds itself in," said an individual close to Noda. Sadakazu Tanigaki, president of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters on Aug. 10, "Lee has treated Japan with contempt because the DPJ-led government's basic diplomatic stances are not clear." (This article was written by Tetsuya Hakoda in Seoul and Toru Higashioka in Tokyo.) THE ASAHI SHIMBUN http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/korean_peninsula/AJ201208140048

South Korea's Lee: Takeshima visit motivated by 'comfort women' issue Previous Article UPDATE: Powerful uncle of North Korea leader in China to talk business Next Article Japan, North Korean officials to meet for first time in four years August 14, 2012 By TETSUYA HAKODA/ Correspondent SEOUL--South Korean President Lee Myung-bak felt so backed into a corner by Japan's intransigence on the wartime sex slave issue that he played the only card he had left in his hand. That card was his surprise visit to the disputed Takeshima islets in the Sea of Japan on Aug. 10, a development that threw bilateral relations into a tailspin. As head of a lameduck administration, Lee felt a desperate need to make a political statement that just might jolt Japan out of its stupor. "A major power like Japan can settle (the 'comfort women' issue) if only it makes up its mind to do so," a spokesman for the presidential office quoted Lee as saying during a luncheon with National Assembly speaker Kang Chang-hee and other guests on Aug. 13. "But Japan has been showing a negative attitude for reasons of domestic politics," he went on. "So I decided I had to take action that demonstrated my resolve." Lee has said previously that he spoke at length with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda during summit talks in Kyoto last December, trying to persuade him of the need to resolve the "comfort women" issue. Lee said he had been gearing up to make the visit to Takeshima, called Dokdo in Korean, for the past three years. The islets are administered by South Korea and claimed by Japan. "I couldn't go there last year because of the weather," he was quoted as saying. According to Lee's spokesman, the president said, "Japan's clout in the international community is no longer what it was before." Tokyo, incensed by Lee's visit, said it was considering filing a complaint with the International Court of Justice. It also hinted that other measures were being studied to protest Lee's action. Some government departments in Seoul, not least in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, are trying to backpedal furiously in the hope the situation will cool off sooner rather than later. A South Korean government source said Seoul will withdraw its plan to build a marine science research base off Takeshima. "We will discontinue the plan unless Japan sends patrol vessels or takes other physical actions," the source said. For its part, Seoul has no intention of letting the Takeshima dispute be heard before the ICJ, even if Japan goes ahead and files a complaint. Some experts in South Korea, however, say Seoul's continued refusal to have the case heard could put it at a disadvantage in the long run. By TETSUYA HAKODA/ Correspondent http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120815000114&cpv=0


Lee presses Japan to resolve 'comfort women' issue

2012-08-15 10:47 Text

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South Korean President Lee Myung-bak pressed Japan to take sincere steps to resolve long-running grievances over Tokyo's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, saying the act was a violation of "universal human rights and historic justice."

Lee made the remarks during a Liberation Day address marking Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, as tensions between the two countries have been running high after Lee's surprise visit last week to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, which Tokyo claims as its own.

Historians say that tens of thousands of Asian women, mostly Koreans, were forced to work at front-line brothels for Japanese soldiers during World War II. Victims of sexual slavery have been euphemistically called "comfort women."

"Japan is a close neighbor, a friend that shares basic values and an important partner that we should work with to open the future. However, we have to point out that chain links tangled in the history of Korea-Japan relations are hampering the common march toward a better tomorrow in the Northeast Asian region, as well as bilateral ties," Lee said.

"Particularly, the issue involving the mobilization of 'comfort women' by the imperial Japanese military goes beyond relations between Korea and Japan," he said. "It was a breach of women's rights committed during wartime as well as a violation of universal human rights and historic justice. We urge the Japanese Government to take responsible measures in this regard."

Lee has repeatedly stressed that the comfort women issue is becoming increasingly urgent as most victims are elderly, well over 80 years old, and may die before they receive compensation or an apology from Japan. Currently, there are only 60 victims alive.

Tokyo has been ignoring Seoul's demand for official talks on compensating the aging Korean women. Seoul has been making the demand since its Constitutional Court ruled last year that it is unconstitutional for the Seoul government to make no specific efforts to settle the matter with Tokyo.

Japan maintains that all issues regarding its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, including the comfort women, were settled in a 1965 package compensation deal under which the two countries normalized their relations.

Lee's trip to Dokdo, which was made Friday, has sharply raised tensions between Seoul and Tokyo. It was the first time that a South Korean president has ever visited the islets lying in the East Sea around halfway between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

Lee has said he decided to make the trip to show through action that Japan needs to sincerely atone for its past wrongdoing, and that lack of progress in efforts to resolve colonial-era issues has kept South Korea from fully opening its heart to Japan and moving relations between the two countries forward.

On Tuesday, Lee said Japan's emperor should sincerely apologize for the country's colonial rule if he wants to visit South Korea, and that he "does not need to come" if he is going to offer an insincere apology couched in vague language, recalling the hard-to-understand, ancient wording Emperor Akihito used in his 1990 apology.

Tokyo has long laid claims to Dokdo in school textbooks, government reports and other ways.

South Korea has rejected the claims to Dokdo as amounting to denying Korea's rights because the country regained independence from colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula.

Koreans also view the claims as a sign Japan has not fully repented for its imperialist past.

South Korea has kept a small police detachment on Dokdo since 1954.

Lee said South Korea will continue to make preparations for unification with North Korea.

"The ultimate consummation of our liberation consists in national unification. National reunification will be the springboard of a truly greater Republic of Korea," he said, referring to South Korea's official name.

Lee urged Pyongyang to give up its nuclear programs, embrace reform and open up to the outside world, saying the South is prepared to help the impoverished nation. Lee also said the South is open to dialogue with the communist nation.

"Pyongyang has also come to a situation where it has to look straight at reality and consider a transformation," he said. "We will carefully watch for the possible changes." (Yonhap News)

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2012/08/15/8/0301000000AEN20120815001652315F.HTML

(3rd LD) Lee presses Japan to resolve 'comfort women' issue
By Chang Jae-soon
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak urged Japan to take sincere steps to resolve long-running grievances over Tokyo's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, saying the act was a violation of "universal human rights and historic justice."

Lee made the remarks during a Liberation Day address marking Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, as tensions between the two countries flared anew after his surprise visit last week to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, which Tokyo claims as its own.

Lee, however, made no mention of Dokdo in the speech.

Historians say that tens of thousands of Asian women, mostly Koreans, were forced to work at front-line brothels for Japanese soldiers during World War II. Victims of sexual slavery have been euphemistically called "comfort women."

"Japan is a close neighbor, a friend that shares basic values and an important partner that we should work with to open the future. However, we have to point out that chain links tangled in the history of Korea-Japan relations are hampering the common march toward a better tomorrow in the Northeast Asian region, as well as bilateral ties," Lee said.

"Particularly, the issue involving the mobilization of 'comfort women' by the imperial Japanese military goes beyond relations between Korea and Japan," he said. "It was a breach of women's rights committed during wartime as well as a violation of universal human rights and historic justice. We urge the Japanese Government to take responsible measures in this regard."





Lee has repeatedly stressed that the comfort women issue is becoming increasingly urgent as most victims are elderly, well over 80 years old, and may die before they receive compensation or an apology from Japan. Currently, there are only 60 victims alive.

Tokyo has been ignoring Seoul's demand for official talks on compensating the aging Korean women, claiming all issues regarding its colonial rule were settled in a 1965 package compensation deal under which the two countries normalized their relations.

Lee's trip to Dokdo, which was made Friday, has sharply raised tensions between Seoul and Tokyo. It was the first time that a South Korean president has ever visited the islets lying in the East Sea around halfway between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

Lee has said he decided to make the trip to show through action that Japan needs to sincerely atone for its past wrongdoing, and that lack of progress in efforts to resolve colonial-era issues has kept South Korea from fully opening its heart to Japan and moving relations between the two countries forward.

On Tuesday, Lee said Japan's emperor should sincerely apologize for the country's colonial rule if he wants to visit South Korea, and that he "does not need to come" if he is going to offer an insincere apology couched in vague language, recalling the hard-to-understand, ancient wording Emperor Akihito used in his 1990 apology.

Japan has strongly protested against Lee's visit, urging South Korea to agree to take the issue to the international court for settlement. South Korea has flatly rebuffed the suggestion, saying it makes no sense to refer what is clearly the country's territory to the court.

In what appears to be a tit-for-tat argument, two Japanese cabinet members and about 50 lawmakers paid their respect at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on Wednesday, a move that South Korea, China and other Asian nations have resented because such visits are considered to glorify Japan's imperialistic past.

It was the first time that Japanese cabinet members have visited the shrine since the Democratic Party of Japan rose to power in September 2009.

South Korea expressed regret, calling the visit "irresponsible."

Also Wednesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Tokyo has lodged an official protest with South Korea over Lee's remarks on the country's emperor. Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda also said he "cannot understand the remarks."

"It is regrettable," Noda said, according to news reports.

Tokyo has long laid claims to Dokdo in school textbooks, government reports and other ways.

South Korea has rejected the claims to Dokdo as amounting to denying Korea's rights because the country regained independence from colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula. Koreans also view the claims as a sign Japan has not fully repented for its imperialist past.

South Korea has kept a small police detachment on Dokdo since 1954.

Lee said South Korea will continue to make preparations for unification with North Korea.

"The ultimate consummation of our liberation consists in national unification. National reunification will be the springboard of a truly greater Republic of Korea," he said, referring to South Korea's official name.

Lee urged Pyongyang to give up its nuclear programs, embrace reform and open up to the outside world, saying the South is prepared to help the impoverished nation. Lee also said the South is open to dialogue with the communist nation.

"Pyongyang has also come to a situation where it has to look straight at reality and consider a transformation," he said. "We will carefully watch for the possible changes."

Lee called for support from across the society to overcome economic difficulties, saying the situation triggered by the eurozone debt crisis is more serious than anticipated, and it could take more time than originally projected for the global economy to turn around.

"In addressing the current global crisis, the government efforts alone will not suffice," Lee said. "Collaboration of all economic entities, including businesses, is urgently needed. Business leaders are well advised to continuously increase investment and employment without being intimidated."

Lee said his administration will do its best to energize the economy and stabilize the livelihoods of ordinary people.

"A politician has a fixed tenure, yet the duties of taking care of the economy and everyday lives of the public must continue without stopping," he said.

jschang@yna.co.kr
(END)