Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter | The South Korean government’s plan that aims to resolve a years-

long diplomatic dispute between Seoul and Tokyo, immediately drew criticisms from victims, liberal lawmakers, civil groups and supporters.

On Tuesday, the surviving victims of wartime forced labor by Japanese firms strongly condemned the Korean government's proposal to settle the compensation issue without the direct involvement of the Japanese

companies.

The three surviving victims of South Korea named Yang Geum-deok 94, Kim Sung-joo 93, Kim Sung-joo, 93, out of 15 plaintiffs are formally rejecting the government proposal, a representative said on Monday.

Lim Jae-sung, a lawyer for one of the three plaintiffs made the comments as he delivered written evidence of

their objections to the state-run foundation that would oversee the compensation under Seoul’s plan.

Yang Geum-deok 94 a surviving victim said, "I will not accept the money even if I starve to death," during a

press conference held at the National Assembly.

Kim Sung-joo, 93, another surviving victim, said, "It was Japan that took us (for forced labor), so who should

we demand an apology from?"

Dozens of people in Seoul protested against the government’s compensation plan for victims of Japan’s war

time forced labor on March 12, 2023. They refused to attend a public hearing and rallied outside the parlia-

ment building.

Lee Kook-Un, the chairman of Japanese forced mobilization citizen’s Association said, “preparators are shame-

less, victims are treated poorly, the president is insulting, the supreme court is flipping side with the president’s interference.”

“Is this what we call the rule of law? Is this within our national interest?” He added.

Victims and opposition lawmakers argue that the Korean government’s plan will frees Japanese firms from

obligations as the history proves the victims were treated poorly.

Civic groups and supporters of victims who joined the press conference said they will continue to fight, urging the government to nullify the "humiliating" settlement.

However, the South Korean foreign ministry on Tuesday said “it will continue to talk with victims and their

families affected by the 2018 ruling and persuade them to consent to its proposed compensation plan

despite the rising criticisms.

In a Monday briefing, the ministry said it had discussed the settlement with 13 out of 15 victims or their

families before finalizing the plan.

Immediately, it is not yet clear if families of the deceased plaintiffs will accept the Korean government’s plan. It is also not clear that what will be the response of Tokyo if Seoul is unable to convince the plaintiffs to accept

the proposal, which has been hailed as “groundbreaking” by U.S. President Joe Biden.

However, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to visit Japan this week for a meeting with Prime

Minister Fumio Kishida.