A outspoken South Korean victim of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement on Monday slammed the government's deal to settle the long-running diplomatic feud, calling the pact's legitimacy into question.
The 90 year-old victim, Kim Bok-dong who is one of 40 surviving victims, claimed the 2015 Seoul-Tokyo agreement was reached without prior consultation with her and other victims during a parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which was in charge of the diplomatic agreement.
The two neighbors forged the deal in December last year to end deep-rooted diplomatic rows over Japan's forced mobilization of Korean women at front-line brothels for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Under the agreement, Japan transferred 1 billion yen (US$9.9 million) earlier this month to a South Korean foundation dedicated to supporting the victims, but a group of the surviving victims and civic groups continue to resist the deal, which they said was reached against their will.
"It was reached in a hush-hush talk among (government) officials without telling us anything," Kim said during the audit which she attended as a witness.
"The reason why we fought was not for consolation money," Kim said, claiming that "The Japanese government is still saying civilians were responsible for the sexual enslavement or they (victims) decided to do it on their own while making no apology at all."
Kim said she would stop her protests only if the Japanese government apologizes directly to the victims and takes legal action to compensate them.
"Even if (Prime Minister) Abe comes forward to apologize and offer compensation, I cannot agree to the deal," Kim said. (Yonhap)
