This statement by the key North Korean news agency followed in response to the
discontent, expressed by the Japanese Foreign Ministry head in connection with
a draft resolution, submitted to the US Congress, demanding that Tokyo should
bring apologies for forced exploitation of Korean women as 'sexual slaves'
during the Second World War.
"If Japan is ready to settle honestly problems of its past, it has no grounds
to express discontent at hearings (at the US Congress) or the resolution," the
KCNA statement stresses.
On February 19, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso called the draft resolution,
submitted to the US House of Representatives "unsubstantiated with objective
facts" and "provoking an extreme regret". According to the minister, he cannot
confirm reports that the Japanese imperial army sent women from occupied areas
of Asia to army brothels during the Second World War.
At the same time, according to data of North Korea, the command of the Japanese
armed forces had called at least 200,000 Korean women to the so-called points
of comfort and then ruthlessly disposed of them.
KCNA observers emphasize that, "any actions by Japan to conceal past crimes
will only lay bare the obnoxious picture (of the past) and will prevent the
country from taking a responsible post in the international community".
It is expected that official apologies by the Japanese side for the colonial
sway in Korea, along with problems of payment of compensations to victims and a
return of cultural values taken from the country, will be discussed at a
meeting of the working group on normalizing relations between Pyongyang and
Tokyo is being held in Hanoi on March 7-8.
