DPRK Slams Japan's Bid to Wreck Victims' Meeting by Denying Entry

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday rapped the Japanese government for denying a DPRK delegation entry into Japan to attend an international meeting.

Hong Son Ok, chairman of the DPRK Measure Committee for Demanding Compensation to "comfort women for the (Japanese) army" and the victims of the Pacific War, told a press conference here that Japan's decision was designed to obstruct the victims of the war who will expose the war crimes committed by Japanese imperialists against the Korean people, and thwart the just actions of the progressive forces in Japan.

The decision was an insult to the war victims, a challenge to human justice and conscience, and an undisguised hostile action against the DPRK.

The DPRK delegation planned to attend the gathering for victims of Japan's war atrocities, sponsored by some Japanese civilian groups. The Japanese government refused to let the delegation enter Japan on grounds that the gathering might be turned into a forum to condemn Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro's planned visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.

Hong noted that the Korean people are fully justified to demand reparations from the Japanese authorities for their sufferings, pains and losses caused by Japan's occupation of their country for nearly half a century, during which 6 million able-bodied men were forced into slave labor, 200,000 women were abducted to serve as sex slaves for the Japanese army, and still more people were killed.

The Japanese government should take the legal and moral responsibilities for Japan's crimes in the past and fulfill its international obligation by making apologies and compensation, she added.

If the Japanese authorities thought they could hide Japan's past crimes against the Korean people from the world public, and stop the just actions by the Japanese progressive forces settling accounts with Japan's wartime past, they would be seriously mistaken, Hong said.






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