South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday expressed hope that a deal reached the same day between South Korea and Japan over women forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels marks a new start for bilateral relations, according to the South Korean presidential office.
The agreement, however, received mixed reviews among former comfort women, with some dismissing it as no more than a diplomatic expediency.
"I hope the outcome of the negotiations could be sincerely implemented and lead relations between South Korea and Japan to start from a new starting point," Park was quoted as saying at a meeting with Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at the presidential office. The deal was struck following talks in Seoul between Kishida and his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se.