Tokyo shows protest towards UN statement on its wartime sex enslavement
유엔인권대표 "위안부는 성노예"…日 "극히 유감"
Seoul and Tokyo reached a historic agreement in December on the issue of Japan's wartime sex slavery, calling it a "final" and "irreversibly" decision.
But the months following the agreement have not seen remarkable progress.
The former sex slaves themselves and a number of UN bodies have called for a more "victim-centered" approach, with a UN human rights official, on Thursday, calling for better consideration of the victims.
However, Tokyo has once again shrugged off these requests on Friday...
Oh Soo-young reports.
Japan has shown defiance towards a statement made by a UN human rights official , who used the term "sex slaves" in reference to Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War 2.
During a council session on Thursday, High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said that only the victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery can judge whether they have received genuine redress.
In response, Tokyo's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga argued at a press conference held Friday,... that the remark differed from the response from the international community.
He added Tokyo will make its stance better known as well as protest to the UN official.
The Human Rights Council hasn't been the only UN mechanism to address the sex slavery issue.
Earlier this week, a report from the UN's Committee on discrimination against women deemed that Seoul and Tokyo's agreement is insufficient and warrants an official apology and compensation.
It also called on Japan to refrain from making disparaging statements on the wartime victims.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will meet with a victim of Japan's wartime sex slavery for the first time.
KIL Won-ok, now eighty-nine years old, will consult with the Secretary General on behalf of other victims,... and submit a petition requesting a formal apology from the Japanese government as well as lawful compensation.
The meeting will take place on Saturday at the UN headquarters in New York.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.
Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages
Facebook(NEWS): / newsarirang
Homepage: http://www.arirang.com
Facebook: / arirangtv
Twitter: / arirangworld
Instagram: / arirangworld