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| Foreing minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono / Korea Times file |
By Kim Bo-eun
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha discussed with her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono the recent rulings by South Korea's top court ordering Japanese companies to compensate victims of forced labor, in a phone call held Wednesday.
The minister explained the government's stance on the ruling, and "urged a cautious response" from Japan, the foreign ministry said in a press release.
Tokyo has maintained that compensation for forced labor victims was paid in a deal reached in 1965 to settle colonial era issues, and wants the government to nullify the ruling. In an earlier-issued statement, the government stated it was inappropriate for it to intervene in rulings made by judiciary.
This was the first phone call between the ministers after relations became strained following a series of events concerning the countries' history.
The Supreme Court ordered Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal, Oct. 30, to compensate victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of Korea. On Nov. 21, the government stated that it would disband a foundation that was set up to carry out a disputed sex slave deal reached with Japan in 2015. Another top court ruling was made Nov. 29 that ordered Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to compensate forced labor victims.
These developments triggered aggressive responses from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kono.
Kang and Kono last spoke by phone, Oct. 31.
Meanwhile, South Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Su-hoon said a cool head was necessary under such circumstances.
"Dealing with sensitive issues related to history between the countries over the past year in Japan, I felt that cool-headedness and moderation were needed in relations between Korea and Japan," the ambassador said in a press conference at the foreign ministry the same day.
Lee is among 181 South Korean ambassadors and consuls general at foreign missions that are in Seoul this week for an annual meeting.
He said the government needs to seek to resolve historical issues with Japan while boosting cooperation in the areas of the economy, culture, and security.
A foreign ministry official said the ministers' phone call was a positive sign.
Compared to the situation after the ruling on forced labor victims, in which the Japanese government issued aggressive remarks, the situation has cooled down to some extent, he said.
The official said Tokyo and Seoul shared the opinion that the two countries must face historical matters, but should seek to take relations toward a future-oriented direction.
The official added that cooperation remains strong between the countries regarding the North Korea nuclear issue and security.
