Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at the start of their meeting on May 7 (Pool)

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was bashed in the South Korean media over comments he made about wartime Korean laborers during his just-ended trip to Seoul.

The reaction took ruling party lawmakers in the two nations by surprise as they gave high marks to his efforts.

Kishida was reciprocating a visit to Japan in March by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. In doing so, it marked a resumption of mutual trips by leaders of Japan and South Korea after a 12-year hiatus.

During the trip, Kishida voiced his thoughts on wartime Korean laborers who had sued Japanese companies for compensation. South Korean Supreme Court rulings ordering compensation be paid had long been a major sticking point in bilateral ties.

At a joint news conference with Yoon on May 7, Kishida said, “My heart hurts when I think about the fact that many people endured very difficult and sad experiences under severe circumstances at the time.”

The conservative Dong-A Ilbo newspaper described Kishida’s comment as an expression of regret that was a step in the right direction but added it was only the prime minister’s personal view.

It noted he made no mention of the 1998 joint declaration that clearly included deep remorse and heartfelt apology for Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.

In an editorial, The Dong-A Ilbo characterized Kishida’s comment as “far from sufficient in bridging the deep gap of understanding between South Korea and Japan.”

The Chosun Ilbo in its editorial touched upon the need for cooperation between the two nations to deal with North Korea but said Kishida’s statement “did not match the expectations of South Korean society.”

The more progressive newspapers criticized Kishida for not apologizing for the wartime laborer issue.

A citizens group supporting the plaintiffs in the lawsuit issued a statement May 8 that said Kishida came to the meeting with Yoon “empty-handed” without a single word of apology.

But lawmakers of the ruling parties in Japan and South Korea said Kishida pushed bilateral ties in a positive direction.

At his May 8 news conference, Toshimitsu Motegi, the secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said, “I took (his comment) as a move to return the Japan-South Korea relationship to a sound state in response to the forward-looking efforts made by South Korea."

Before Kishida returned to Tokyo on May 8, he met with South Korean lawmakers who belong to a group working to improve ties with Japan.

One of the lawmakers, Chung Jin-Suk of the ruling People Power Party who heads the group, spoke with reporters and described Kishida’s comments at the news conference as a “warm message.” Chung said he told Kishida that the comment left a strong impression on him.

During the news conference, Kishida also said that South Korean experts would be allowed to visit the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant where preparations are continuing to release tons of water into the ocean that have been treated to remove radioactive materials.

South Korea had expressed strong reservations about discharging the water in this manner.

Yun Ho-jung of the opposition Democratic Party also met with Kishida on May 8 in his role as secretary-general of the South Korean lawmakers’ group. Yun suggested to Kishida that experts from the two nations jointly assess the effects of dumping the treated water.

(This article was written by Keishi Nishimura in Tokyo and Kiyohide Inada and Narumi Ota in Seoul.)

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