Sexual Slavery Deal

[Anchor Lead]

President Moon Jae-in invited the victims of Japanese sex slavery to the presidential office where he apologized to them for the government's 2015 agreement on the issue signed with Japan. He reiterated that the agreement disregarded the victims' needs and was flawed in terms of procedure and content.

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President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook welcome the victims of Japanese sex slavery at Cheong Wa Dae. At a luncheon, President Moon said that the government's "comfort women" agreement with Japan signed two years ago runs counter to the truth and justice, and fails to meet the victims' needs. He apologized to the victims for the agreement signed by the previous administration.

[Soundbite] Pres. Moon Jae-in : "I want to apologize to you for the agreement with Japan that fails to meet your needs. I apologize to you as the president."

President Moon said that although setting the already concluded agreement straight while trying to improve ties with Japan is going to be quite a challenge, the agreement fails to solve the issue of
"comfort women." The victims expressed their gratitude to the president and asked him to make
Japan apologize officially to them.

[Soundbite] Lee Yong-soo(Victim of Japanese Sex Slavery) : "We have been demanding an official apology and legal compensation over the past 26 years. I think this issue must be solved by all means."

Earlier, President Moon paid a visit to one of the victims who is currently hospitalized and was unable to attend the luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae. The president is to unveil measures on the results of the review of the Korea-Japan "comfort women" agreement at the New Year news conference slated for next week.