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WORLD NEWSTuesday 29 December 2015

South Korea, Japan reach landmark deal on WWII sex slaves

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, right, shakes hands with his Japanese counterpart separate written statement tual trust and open a new
Fumio Kishida after their joint press conference at Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, or if it would be directly de- era in ties based on the
Dec. 28, 2015. livered to the 46 surviving agreement.n After phon-
former Korean sex slaves, ing Park, Abe told reporters
(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) now in their 80s and 90s. that the agreement was
The language mirrored based on his commitment
HYUNG-JIN KIM es with its former colonial morse to all the women past expressions of re- to stop future generations
FOSTER KLUG overlord, could begin to re- who underwent immeasur- morse by other prime min- from having to repeatedly
Associated Press verse decades of animos- able and painful experi- isters, although it was seen apologize.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ity and mistrust between ences and suffered incur- by some in Seoul as an “Japan and South Korea
— An apology from Ja- the two thriving democra- able physical and psycho- improvement on previous are now entering a new
pan’s prime minister and a cies, trade partners and logical wounds as comfort comments by Abe’s hawk- era,” Abe said. “We should
pledge of more than $8 mil- staunch U.S. allies. It repre- women,” the euphemistic ish government, which has not drag this problem into
lion sealed a breakthrough sents a shift for Tokyo’s con- name given the women. been accused of white- the next generation.”
deal Monday in a de- servative government and Historians say tens of thou- washing wartime atrocities. Park issued a separate
cades-long impasse with a new willingness to com- sands of women from Another deciding factor statement saying the deal
South Korea over Korean promise by previously wary around Asia, many of them was that the 1 billion yen was the result of her gov-
women forced into Japa- Seoul. Korean, were sent to front- ($8.3 million) — to create ernment’s best efforts to
nese military-run brothels A statement by both coun- line military brothels to pro- a foundation to help pro- resolve the sex slave issue,
during World War II. tries’ foreign ministers said vide sex to Japanese sol- vide support for the victims given its urgency. “Most
The accord, which aims to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe diers. — came from the govern- of victims are at an ad-
resolve the emotional core “expresses anew his most It wasn’t immediately clear ment, not private sources, vanced age and nine died
of South Korea’s grievanc- sincere apologies and re- if Abe would be issuing a something Tokyo has resist- this year alone,” she said.
ed in the past. “I hope the mental pains of
South Korean Foreign Minis- the elderly comfort women
ter Yun Byung-se said Seoul will be eased,” Park said.
considers the agreement The initial reaction of for-
“final and irreversible,” as mer sex slaves was mixed.
long as Japan faithfully fol- One woman said she
lows through with its prom- would follow the govern-
ises. ment’s lead, while another
Later Monday, Abe called vowed to ignore the ac-
South Korean President cord because Tokyo didn’t
Park Geun-hye and reiter- consider the money to be
ated his apology. He said formal compensation.
Tokyo would implement “Isn’t it natural to make le-
the deal and called the gal compensation if they
issue settled irreversibly. commit a crime?” said Lee
Park said she hoped the Yong-su, 88, according
two countries will build mu- to South Korea’s Yonhap
news agency.
China: new restrictions to come on terrorism reporting Some in Seoul saw the
deal, while not perfect, as
Associated Press Agency said the restric- media outlets in Chinaas on what can be reported. an important step forward.
BEIJING (AP) — China said tions are mandated un- well as domestic media “No institutions or individu- “If we brushed aside this
Monday it would impose der an anti-terrorism law organizations comply with als may fabricate or dis- deal, the comfort women
new restrictions on media passed over the weekend, these regulations and make seminate information on issue would remain unre-
reports about domestic ter- but gave few details. “The their due contribution to forged terrorist incidents, solved forever,” said Lee
rorism, as it continued to various restrictions intend to the global fight against ter- report on or disseminate Won Deog, director of Insti-
deride a French journalist prevent copy-cat crimes, ror.” The new law contains details of terrorist activities tute of Japanese Studies at
being forced to leave the protect front-line anti-terror a clause saying that news that might lead to imita- Seoul’s Kookmin University.
country for questioning Bei- workers and keep society organizations should aid in tion, nor publish scenes of “Elderly women would die
jing’s claims about the ter- from the harm of hearsay,” the propaganda struggle cruelty or inhumanity about one by one; South Korea
rorist threat it faces. Xinhua said. “It is for the against terrorism, as well as terrorist activities,” the law and Japan would engage
The official Xinhua News common good that foreign some general restrictions says.q in history wars and find it
harder to improve ties.” q