‘Comfort Women’ Top Issue in South Korea, Japan Talks

AS IT IS 2015-11-03 ‘Comfort Women’ Top Issue in South Korea, Japan Talks

The leaders of South Korea and Japan have held their first formal bilateral¹ talks since taking office.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met in Seoul on Monday. A main topic was the issue of “comfort women.”

“Comfort women” in South Korea were forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s occupying military force during World War II.

The issue has divided two key military allies in Asia.

President Park had refused to meet with Prime Minister Abe until he offered a “sincere apology” and reparations to thousands of Asian “comfort women.”

Japan’s position is that a 1965 diplomatic treaty between the countries legally settled compensation for "comfort women.” That is disputed by mostly Korean “comfort women.”

After their meeting, Prime Minister Abe said the two leaders promised to increase efforts to peacefully resolve this issue.

"It's the 50th anniversary of the normalization² of ties (Japan-South Korea) this year,” he said. “Keeping that in mind, we've agreed to accelerate talks for the earliest possible resolution."

President Park said it was important that surviving “comfort women” – who are now in their 80s and 90s -- were satisfied with how the issue is resolved. She said it was key to re-establishing a stable diplomatic relationship with Japan.

“I hope today's summit will heal the bitter history in a broad sense, and be a sincere one and an important opportunity to develop the two countries' relationship," Park said.

The two leaders did not hold a joint³ public news briefing after the talks. And neither side publicly expressed willingness to compromise on the issue.

Hosaka Yuji is a political science professor at Seoul’s Sejong University. He says the South Korean president won a diplomatic concession⁴ from the Japanese leader.

He said, “Prime Minister Abe slightly moved towards President Park’s demand on the necessity of resolving this issue by the end of this year.”

South China Sea was among issues discussed

During the meeting, Prime Minister Abe reportedly told President Park that the South China Sea situation is a common concern. He suggested the two counties cooperate about free navigation.

Japan has offered support for U.S. efforts to protect important international shipping⁵ lanes in the South China Sea. South Korea has been unwilling⁶ to publicly criticize China over the issue.

The Northeast Asian leaders did not publicly discuss rising tensions in the South China Sea. They made a statement endorsing⁷ increased dialogue and cooperation to resolve regional disputes.

Trilateral meeting talks center on trade ties, security

On Sunday, Abe and Park met with Chinese Premier⁸ Li Keqiang for the first such trilateral leaders meeting in three and half years.  The talks had been suspended over historical disagreements and conflicting claims to islands in the Pacific.

The three leaders agreed to work together on trade and security issues. They promised to establish a free trade zone and develop an “East Asia Market.”

The proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership⁹ could be an all-Asian version of the U.S. led Trans Pacific Partnership. Twelve Pacific economies -- including Japan and the U.S., but not South Korea or China -- recently settled on the agreement.

However, South Korea has shown interest in becoming a member.

The three Northeast Asian neighbors also restated their support for restarting “six party” international talks on North Korea’s nuclear program.

In 2009, North Korea ended talks with the U.S., South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. North Korea has carried out three internationally condemned¹⁰ nuclear tests that have increased United Nations sanctions.

Words in This Story

bilateral – adj. between two groups or countries

trilateral -- adj. between three groups or countries

reparations – n. something (usually money) that is given as a way to correct a mistake; money that a country or group that loses a war pays because of damage, injury or deaths that were caused

accelerate –v. to move faster or gain speed

stable –adj. in a good state or condition that is not easily changed or likely to change

concession –n. something that is allowed or agreed to end a conflict or reach an agreement

1 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

2 normalization   

n.（normalisation）正常化，标准化

参考例句：

• The visit signalled the normalization of relations between the two countries.这次访问显示两国关系已经正常化。
• He was pleased to the normalization of relationship between the police and the people.他很高兴警方和人民之间关系的正常化。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

5 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

6 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

7 endorsing   

v.赞同( endorse的现在分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• Yet Communist leaders are also publicly endorsing religion in an unprecedented way. 不过，共产党领导层对宗教信仰的公开认可也是以前不曾有过的。 来自互联网
• Connecticut Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman is endorsing Republican Senator John McCain. 康涅狄格州独立派参议员约瑟夫。列波曼将会票选共和议员约翰。麦凯恩。 来自互联网

8 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

9 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。