South Korea announces plan to resolve wartime labor dispute with Japan

South Korea on Monday unveiled a plan to resolve a long-running wartime labor dispute with Japan – a move hailed by Tokyo – bringing the two neighbors closer to a major improvement in relations marred by years of mistrust and a turbulent past.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin announced the plan at a press conference, saying that the funds for compensation for wartime workers under the Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 would be raised through “voluntary” private sector donations and paid to an existing South Korean foundation. . from Japanese companies.

“The government hopes to work with Japan, our closest neighbor, who shares the universal values ​​of liberal democracies, market economies, rule of law and human rights amid the increasingly dangerous situation on the Korean Peninsula and amid the current grave international situation,” Park said in prepared remarks.