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Moon Invites Victims of Japanese Wartime Sex Slavery

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook walk with victims of wartime sex slavery at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Thursday. /Yonhap

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President Moon Jae-in on Thursday invited to Cheong Wa Dae eight women who were forced into sex slavery during World War II.

First lady Kim Jung-sook, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and other key Cabinet members and presidential aides were also on hand to welcome the women.

Cheong Wa Dae said the president wanted to hear the victims' wishes directly and find out how they want to resolve the ongoing dispute with Japan, while also offering his sympathy for their suffering.

Moon apologized for a somewhat murky deal that was struck with Japan in 2015 to compensate the victims indirectly and proved deeply unpopular.

"The agreement was wrong in its content and process", Moon said. "The government pursued it unilaterally, without listening to the victims. As president, I can't deny that it was an official agreement between the two countries, but if you share your thoughts with me today, I'll make sure to reflect them when deciding the government's official position".

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