Court denies request for disclosure of documents on sex slave deal
SEOUL: Overturning a lower court decision, an appellate court rejected a request yesterday to make public diplomatic documents related to South Korea’s 2015 deal with Japan over Tokyo’s wartime sex slaves, Yonhap news agency reported.
The Seoul High Court did not specify the reason for its decision, but it appears to have judged that a possible disclosure of the documents could negatively affect Seoul-Tokyo ties.
The lower court earlier ordered the revelation of the documents for the purpose of “guaranteeing the people’s right to know and secure transparency in running state affairs.”
InDecember2015,thegovernment of President Park Geun Hye and Japan clinched an agreement to “finally and irreversibly” resolve the issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II.
The deal calls for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s indirect apology and the launch of a foundation dedicated to supporting the surviving victims.
Tokyo promised to contribute 1 billion yen (US$8.9 million) to the foundation.
But the accord has come under public criticism here as Seoul failed to obtain Japan’s acknowledgment of legal responsibility for atrocities and reached the deal without consulting the victims.
Thursday’s decision came as Seoul and Tokyo have seen their ties sink to one of the lowest points amid a series of diplomatic tensions.
In 2016, Song Ki Ho, a lawyer, requested the foreign minister to unveil the relevant diplomatic documents to the public.
In 2017, an administrative court accepted his request, ordering the government to make them public.
The lawyer said he will decide whether to lodge an appeal after consulting with sex slave victims. — Bernama