Secretary-General, Welcoming Accord on ‘Comfort Women’ Issues, Expresses Hope It Will Help Improve Ties between Japan, Republic of Korea

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes that the Governments of Japan and the Republic of Korea have reached an agreement on the issues related to “comfort women” at the bilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting held in Seoul on 28 December.  The Secretary-General hopes that the agreement will contribute to improving the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

He appreciates President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan for their leadership and vision for the betterment of the relationship between the two countries, as reflected in an earlier agreement at the bilateral summit on 2 November.

The Secretary-General has stressed the importance of the countries in North-East Asia to build a future-oriented relationship, based on the recognition of history.