문 대통령 '사법부 판결 존중해야;강제징용 개인 청구권 소멸되지 않아'

President Moon has weighed in on the recent court rulings ordering Japanese companies to compensate Koreans they forced to work for them during World War Two.
The President says, like in the rulings, that previous agreements between South Korea and Japan do not cancel the rights of individuals to make claims.
Our chief Blue House correspondent Shin Se-min has our top story.
President Moon has spoken on the latest friction between Seoul and Tokyo over their fraught history.
While meeting with lawmakers part of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union,... President Moon said the Korean victims of Japan's forced labor do have the right to claim compensation from Japanese firms.
South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in separate cases late this year that two Japanese firms must compensate Koreans forced to work in their factories when Japan ruled the Korean Peninsula as a colonizer.
"President Moon said the issue of forced labor by Japanese firms is the judiciary's ruling,... and just like Japan, Korea respects the separation of powers between the three branches of government. He said while the basic agreement between the two countries is still valid, the individual worker's right to claim compensation from Japanese firms has not been done away with."
And on the shutdown of a Japan-funded foundation to compensate Korean women forced by Japan into sexual slavery,... President Moon said he hopes to consult with Tokyo to come up with ways to use the money that's already been sent.
In 2016, Japan provided 1 billion yen, or about 8-point-8 million U.S. dollars to run the foundation meant to support the victims -- but Korea closed it down last month because it wasn't functioning well.
The South Korean leader also spoke about future ties with Japan,... saying that the feelings of the people of the two countries should not be hurt,... and calling for prudence in handling such sensitive issues.
"As for joining forces to handle geopolitical issues in the region -- the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- the South Korean leader and the members of the Japanese parliament saw eye-to-eye,... and agreed to strengthen communication channels with related parties.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.