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| Korean and Japanese lawmakers met in Tokyo, July 31, to discuss ways to find a breakthrough in relations following Tokyo's imposition of trade restrictions against Korean firms. Korea Times file |
By Park Ji-won
Members of the National Assembly Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union will visit Japan this week for a meeting with their Japanese counterparts. They will discuss measures to create a breakthrough in the chilled relations between Seoul and Tokyo as a possible liquidation of Japanese companies' assets nears.
According to political sources, several lawmakers of the bipartisan Korean parliamentary body aimed at boosting friendly relations between lawmakers from the neighboring countries will visit Tokyo from Wednesday to Saturday to meet key Japanese lawmakers.
The Korean representatives include Kang Chang-il, head of the organization and a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK); Yun Ho-jung of the DPK; Lee Jin-bok and Kim Seok-ki of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and Chung Dong-young of the Party for Democracy and Peace.
They will try to find an "exit-strategy" over a Korean Supreme Court ruling ordering Japanese companies to compensate Koreans forced to work for them before and during World War II, and the liquidation of the assets here of those firms that refuse to do so. The liquidation is expected to happen between March and May. One option is to discuss the effectiveness of National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang's proposal to establish a fund with "voluntary" financial contributions from South Korean and Japanese companies, as well as individuals. However, this suggestion was rejected by Korean civic organizations.
The move comes as relations between the two countries are at their lowest point in years after Japan opposed the ruling and took "retaliatory" economic measures. Tokyo also pledged further measures, including visa restrictions on Korean citizens and additional export controls if the liquidations take place.
The union is also pushing for a meeting with Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). However, this is unlikely as Nikai has rejected official requests for meetings with Korean lawmakers since last year, citing his busy schedule. His response is considered to be a political move to show his opposition to the Korean court's ruling.
The group of lawmakers is scheduled to have dinner with Fukushiro Nukaga, who heads the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union and is a member of the LDP, Wednesday; meet Korean businessmen in Tokyo, Thursday; and have dinner with Takeo Kawamura, a senior member of the Japanese bipartisan body and an LDP member the same day.
The group also plans to attend a New Year's event of the Korean Residents Union, Friday, and hold a joint meeting between lawmakers of the parliamentarians' unions of both countries.
