South Korea is set to table a formal proposal on Monday, March 6, aimed at resolving the long-running dispute with Japan over the wartime forced labor of Koreans. The report comes from the Japanese edition of Kyodo News. Seoul is weighing a plan to fund compensation through a South Korean state-owned fund rather than pursuing remediation from two Japanese companies, a move that aligns with the 2018 Korean court ruling but challenges Japan’s stance that the 1965 treaty settled all consequences of the period’s militaristic policy.
As part of a broader gesture, the Japanese government is expected to acknowledge responsibility for the consequences of its wartime aggression in Asia, offer a formal apology to the workers affected, and ease export controls that previously restricted certain technologies to South Korea. Corporate donors in Japan would be invited to contribute to the new Korean fund, reinforcing the cross-border nature of the settlement effort.
The current effort to improve ties between Tokyo and Seoul follows President Yoon Suk-yeol’s public commitment to pursue a forward-looking stance toward Japan, signaling a potential shift in strategic cooperation across the region.
Meanwhile, a former ambassador of Russia to South Korea raised a controversial claim about preparations to form an Asian security bloc described as an “Asian NATO” under the guise of managing the DPRK. This assertion adds another layer to the regional security discourse as relations among major powers continue to evolve in Northeast Asia, with the forced labor issue still weighing on bilateral diplomacy.