The South Korean government on Monday formally proposed compensating over a dozen victims of Japan's wartime forced labor through a Seoul-backed public foundation instead of direct payment from responsible Japanese firms, Yonhap reported.
The South Korean government's proposal was evaluated as a way to restore healthy relations between Japan and South Korea, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi responded later on Monday, Japanese media reported.
The proposal seeks to resolve the issue of compensating 15 South Koreans who won legal battles against two Japanese companies accused of mobilizing them for hard labor during World War II.