South Korea to compensate victims of Japan’s wartime

South Korea announced on Monday its plans to compensate victims who were forced to work in Japanese factories during World War Two (WW II), according to BBC.

Officials from the Japanese side welcomed the proposal, calling it a breakthrough. The American President Joe Biden has also called it “ground breaking.” The victims, on the other hand, rejected the plan since it does not hold Japan accountable.

Foreign Minister Park Jin expressed that his hopes that Japan positively respond…  with Japanese companies’ voluntary contributions and a comprehensive apology. Citizens gathered in front of the South Korean Foreign Ministry to express their opposition of the government’s plan.

Thousands of Koreans were forced to work for Japan during its colonisation of the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945, in addition to women who were forced into sexual slavery, who were known to be called “comfort women.”

Former Japanese administrations have sought to oblige Japanese companies to pay reparations with no luck. Japan and South Korea restored their diplomatic relations after 1965 treaty, which included a reparations package of about $800 million in grants and cheap loans.