SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday said the approach of forcibly converting assets to cash, following the South Korea Supreme Court's order for Japanese companies to compensate for wartime labor, is "not desirable" for South Korea-Japan relations.
In a news conference, Moon expressed his intention to hold discussions between Japan and South Korea on a solution that the plaintiffs could agree on.
"I am confused, to be frank," Moon said about the ruling by the Seoul Central District Court on the "comfort women" proceedings, in which it ordered the Japanese government to provide compensation. Moon, after acknowledging that the 2015 agreement between Japan and South Korea calling for a "final and irreversible" solution to the comfort women issue is an "official agreement between governments," said he hoped to hold discussions between the two governments to find measures victims can agree on.
Moon emphasized that "it is necessary to separate each case and seek a solution" over a series of historical issues. He said he believes that the South Korean government can persuade the plaintiffs to solve each issue if he is able to find a diplomatic solution.
He also said the Japanese government's position of linking all the issues and halting cooperation in other areas is "unwise."
