SEOUL -- A memorial for wartime "comfort women" installed Friday in front of the Japanese Consulate in Busan reflects the persistent, strong opposition within the South Korean public to the December 2015 accord aimed at "finally and irreversibly" resolving the issue.
A Realmeter poll released Thursday found that 59% of respondents thought the deal should be scrapped, while just 25.5% wanted to keep it. Many in South Korea think President Park Geun-hye forced the deal through without heeding public opinion. The deal included a payment of 1 billion yen ($8.57 million at current rates) by Japan, though Tokyo has sought the removal of a similar memorial from outside the country's embassy in Seoul.
