2019 marks one hundred years since the March First Independence Movement and formation of South Korea's provisional government during Japan's colonial rule in 1919.
One hundred years later, South Korea-Japan relations are still strained by the issues of Japan's wartime forced labor and sexual slavery.
Choi Si-young tells us more.

In October last year, South Korea's Supreme Court ruled,... for the first time... that Japanese company,... Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation... must compensate four Korean victims of forced labor during World War II.
The Japanese firm has not responded to the court order.
Similar rulings involving other firms have followed.

In January, 2019, upon the plaintiff's request, a South Korean district court froze local assets of Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corporation, and shortly after, Japan requested talks with South Korea under the 1965 bilateral agreement, which mandates the two sides reconcile their differences first through diplomacy, and if that fails then through an arbitration committee involving a third country.
Seoul said it would "closely review" the request, but no visible progress has been made so far.

Some experts say there is little Seoul can do at this point.

"The South Korean government cannot get involved in a civil case between the forced laborers and Japanese firms. The Japanese firms should accept the ruling."

Seoul and Tokyo are also at odds over wartime sexual slavery.
In 2018, the Moon administration declared the 2015 comfort women agreement "not a resolution" but said there would be "no renegotiation."
In January, 2019, it formally shut down "the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation" set up under that agreement to provide financial aid to the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.
Most recently, National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang said that a "sincere apology" from Japan would resolve the decades long issue.

Others say specific gestures by the Japanese government can bring closure to the matter.

"Either the Japanese prime minister or foreign minister should come to the House of Sharing, a residence for the sexual slavery survivors, and just hold their hands and say sorry.
Money is not an issue here; it's about communicating sincerity to them."

THAT,... the expert says... could be the starting point for the two countries to build trust.

Choi Si-young, Arirang News.