A critical review on the damage claim against Japan - focusing on the victims in the Pacific War -

Abstract

This paper aims to falsify the Japanese Government's argument that Japan has already completed the compensation of the damage on the side of Korea during the Pacific War, by showing that the Korea-Japan agreement on the damage claims in 1965 does not conform to the international customs, and did not fully take the victims into consideration. Henceforth, this paper argues that the Korean Government must claim the newly identified damage against Japan by resuming the negotiation. Specificallyl things to be discussed in this paper include the following: First, we briefly review the present situation of the damage compensation, especially for the Sakhalin residents, the A-bomb victims, the women in 'Cengsindae,' and the Korean residents in Japan, Second, we look into the illicitness of the treaty in 1965, by showing that it did not respect the international customs. Finally, we seek for the solutions that may support the victims and their concerned families. In connection with this, we will examine the role of the Korean and Japanese Governments, and moreover the cooperation between the south Korea and the North Korea to cope with the issue of the damage claim.