Let's continue our look back at the twists and turns in Korean and international news over the past twelve months,... and what an eventful year it has been.
South Korea-Japan ties took a dramatic turn near the end of 2018,... following Seoul's decisions on wartime compensation for Koreans forced to labor for Japanese firms during the war... and the dissolution of a foundation for the female victims of Tokyo's wartime sexual slavery.
Our Park Hee-jun takes a look how bilateral ties have been shaken and where they stand as we head toward 2019. In the short span of two months,... Seoul's Supreme Court ruled that two Japanese companies must compensate South Korean victims for unpaid work during Japan's colonial rule of Korea.
It said the 1965 treaty that normalized diplomatic ties with Japan did not abrogate the right of individuals to seek reparations.
So the victims got their victory after a decades-long fight.

And so did the women forced to sexually serve Japanese troops during World War II.
On November 21st, the South Korean government announced that it will begin legal procedures to dissolve the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation,... or the so-called "comfort women" foundation.
The decision was not unexpected... because the foundation, funded by Japan, was controversial from the very start.
Tokyo claims it's done enough over the years to completely settle the issue of the comfort women, but critics say its actions do not reflect the wishes of the victims,... nor have they come with a sincere apology.
President Moon Jae-in also made clear his opposition to the agreement that set up the foundation.

Both issues sparked immediate protests from Japan.
Japan has been demanding that the South Korean government overrule the court's decision on the forced labor payments.
Prime Minister Abe also stepped in to condemn the shutdown of the comfort women foundation, calling for Seoul to act responsibly.

The two sides are working to build mutual understanding on the issues,... as shown through the phone conversation between their foreign ministers and the meeting between officials in Seoul earlier this week.
But it will take many more months for the foundation to be completely dissolved,... the biggest question being what to do the remaining 5 million dollars in funding sent by Tokyo.
When it comes to the women who were sexually enslaved, the South Korean government plans to turn to the victims themselves to find an appropriate way forward... and to negotiate on those measures with Japan.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.