South Korea's Moon hints at disbanding 'comfort women' foundation

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called the "comfort women" foundation, established under a 2015 agreement between Japan and South Korea, dysfunctional and suggested the two nations seek ways to close it.

The issue arose in a meeting between Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, South Korean media reported.

In response to Moon's remarks, Japan Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Nishimura Yasutoshi confirmed Moon talked about the foundation, but said he wouldn't give details, according to South Korean media agency Joongang Ilbo.

South Korea and Japan reached an agreement in 2015 to bring an end to the historical discord regarding the issue of South Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery -- euphemistically known as "comfort women."

The Japanese government contributed some $9 million (1 billion yen) to set up a foundation that oversees compensation to surviving victims of relatives of those who died.

However, South Korean victims have refused to accept the agreement and said the Japanese government is trying to get away with wartime crimes by paying money.

The South Korean government launched the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation in 2016, only to see its operation come to a halt as its directors resigned.