CNU professors declared a statement against a plan to compensate Japan’s wartime forced labor victims in a seminar room on the first floor of the University Administration building on March 30. More than 242 professors have signed the statement intended to express their opinions on the Korean government’s resolution to compensate the victims of forced labor through public foundation. They insisted that a reimbursement plan from a third person is a one-sided measure and an action that denies the judicial determination of our country. They also emphasized the right way to compensate the victims for wartime forced labor mobilization while ensuring their dignity is to follow the supreme court’s decision, and the government should endeavor to elicit a sincere apology from Japan’s government and responsible companies as the starting point to solving the problem. Chairp of the Faculty Council of CNU, Han Eun-mi (Professor, School of Chemical Engineering) said, “The statement contained the voices of professors criticizing the government’s decision, who pointed out the foreign policy problems of the government that should seek a solution in search for the greatest common measure for national interests which are a vital aspect of diplomacy. It is the responsibility of professors to instill the right values and historical perspectives in students. We do not consider this a political approach, but this is a chance to think about the course of Korean history, so that the young can lead a better society in the future.”

By Lee Da-hyeon, Editor-in-Chief