Japan, South Korea Reach Deal To Resolve "Comfort Women" Row

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - DEC. 28: Japan and South Korea reached an agreement Monday to resolve the issue of women who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels through creating a new fund, in a move that could finally put to rest a thorny dispute that has long hurt bilateral ties. "On the premise that the steps will be implemented steadily, our governments will confirm that the comfort women issue will be settled in a final and irreversible manner," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said at a joint press conference. Speaking to reporters afterward, Kishida described the recent agreement as a "historic and epoch-making achievement" which will pave the way for Japan-South Korea ties to enter "a new, forward-looking era." The two Asian neighbors struck the deal to end their protracted dispute regarding so-called "comfort women" following talks between Kishida and his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung Se, in Seoul. As a way to resolve the row, Japan and South Korea agreed to set up a new fund amounting to some 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) for the women, with the money coming from the Japanese government's budget, Kishida said. "We were able to come to an agreement that is acceptable to both countries," Yun said, adding that Seoul will confirm the issue's settlement as long as Japan sticks to the agreement. The deal is hoped to remove what S. Korean President Park Geun Hye has described as "the biggest obstacle to efforts to improve bilateral relations" in the final days of 2015, which marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties. Kishida said that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will express his sincere apology and remorse to the comfort women, "who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences." He also said the Japanese government recognizes its responsibility over the issue, which, under the involvement of the Japanese military at the time, was a "grave affront to the honor and dignity of large numbers of women."