스가 "압류자산 현금화하면 한일관계 심각 상황...절대 피해야"<br /><br />Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Seoul-Tokyo ties will be seriously hampered if a Japanese company's assets in Korea are sold off to compensate victims of wartime forced labor.<br />In the meantime, South Korean Ambassador to Japan says there are signs of a more positive stance from the Japanese government on the issue .<br />Yoon Jung-min reports.<br />Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says there will be "very serious consequences" should a Japanese company's assets seized in South Korea be liquidated to compensate South Korean victims of wartime forced labor.<br />Therefore, he said, it must be avoided.<br />Tokyo has even warned of retaliation should Seoul sell off local assets of Nippon Steel...following the 2018 South Korean Supreme Court ruling.<br />"I think he has reiterated Japan's previous stance on the issue. It doesn't seem like he has sent more of a hard-lined message."<br />At a press conference Wednesday during a visit to Jakarta, Suga said he has already commented on the issue several times.<br />When asked whether or not he will visit Seoul for a trilateral summit later this year, Suga offered no further comment...and said that nothing has been confirmed.<br />The Japanese media had previously reported that Suga will not travel to South Korea if no further progress has been made in solving the dispute.<br />In the meantime, South Korean Ambassador to Japan Nam Gwan-pyo said there are signs of a more positive stance from the Japanese government regarding the issue.<br />Nam attended a virtual parliamentary inspection on Wednesday, and said he feels a shift in atmosphere...and that Suga is a bit different from his predecessor Shinzo Abe.<br />The embassy sees Suga as having a more practical approach and so an openness for dialogue and cooperation is expected.<br />It added, however, that a change of stance from Suga on certain historical issues would be difficult to expect.<br />Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.<br />
