"Trostfrauen" - Korean Council

The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol 11, Issue 1, No. 6, January 14, 2012.

Proposals for Japan and the ROK to Resolve the "Comfort Women" Issue: Creating trust and peace in light of international law

Totsuka Etsuro

Why did ROK President Lee, Myung-Bak, changing his position on the issue of "comfort women", forcefully demand for the first time in December 2011 in Kyoto that Japan's Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko act to settle this issue? The reason is that the ROK government was compelled to do so by the August 30, 2011 decision of the Korean Constitutional Court.1 As of January 2013, however, there has been no tangible Japanese action on the issues. This article considers possible ways to resolve the issues that continue to poison relations between two neighbors with extensive economic, financial and cultural bonds.

The Decision of the Korean Constitutional Court2