1. On the sidelines of the 67th UN General Assembly session, a Third Committee meeting took place in New York on October 15. In its discussion on ways to improve the status of women, Shin Dong-ik, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN, on behalf of the ROK government, underscored the gravity of the issue of sexual violence against women in armed conflicts and solicited the international community’s attention to the issue of sexual slavery victims forcibly mobilized for the Japanese military during the Second World War.

* The so-called “comfort women” refer to victims who were forced into military sexual slavery during the Second World War.

2. The ROK delegate to the meeting voiced concern that the issue of military sexual slavery victims remains unsettled despite progress in international law concerning wartime sexual violence and continued calls by the international community, including the Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council, to resolve the aforementioned issue.

° The delegate cited as examples of progress in the relevant international law the codification of wartime sexual violence as “war crime” and “crime against humanity” in the statute of the International Criminal Court as well as the punishment of relevant offenders by International War Crimes Tribunals.

3. The ROK delegate called on all UN member states, in an effort to put an end to wartime sexual violence, to take effective remedial measures, prevent such crimes from recurring and punish the offenders.

4. In response to the remarks by the ROK delegate, the delegate from the Japanese government, while offering an apology over the issue of sexual slavery victims, reiterated its claim that the rights of the victims have been legally remedied and that the victims have been provided with health service and apologetic compensation through the Asian Women’s Fund.

5. The ROK delegate refuted his Japanese counterpart’s remarks as follows:

° He expressed deep concern over the fact that the Japanese government is turning a blind eye to the pain of the military sexual slavery victims and stern calls from the international community to resolve the issue, and continues to deny its legal responsibility.

° The issue of sexual slavery by the Japanese military, which is tantamount to a war crime and a crime against humanity, cannot be considered resolved under the ROK-Japan Claims Settlement Agreement, which makes Japan still legally responsible over the issue.

° The issue in question was not discussed in the negotiation process of the Claims Settlement Agreement. UN reports, including that by a former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, verify that the issue was not addressed in the San Francisco Peace Treaty and any other bilateral agreements.

- Other UN human rights treaty bodies, including the Committee against Torture, the Committee on Human Rights Concerning the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, have recommended Japan to address the issue, reaffirming its unresolved state.

° The ROK delegate called on the Japanese government to acknowledge its responsibility over the issue of military sexual slavery victims and seek resolutions that are acceptable to the victims.

                         Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation