South Korea and Japan will hold follow-up talks as early as this month on the landmark deal to settle the issue of the "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, according to diplomatic sources.
The two countries have agreed to continue their director-general talks to discuss the process of implementing the deal reached late last month, but negotiations could face rough going as Japan and South Korea have put different interpretations on conditions to carry out the accord.
Japan has indicated its ¥1 billion ($8.3 million) contribution to a fund to help former comfort women will be contingent on removal of a statue symbolizing the victims that has been erected outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, according to a Japanese government source.