JAPAN RECALLS ITS AMBASSADOR TO ROK OVER STATUE|韓慰安婦像設釜山領事館前 日強烈不滿

In South Korea, on Dec. 31, non-governmental organisations set up a statue dedicated to wartime sex slaves or so-called comfort women outside the Japanese embassy in Busan. Japanese officials were displeased and re-called their ambassador to Busan and halted economic cooperation trade talks. ==PROTESTORS South Korea (2016.12.28)== Cut off Japan South Korea negotiations on wartime sex slaves. Protestors held banners as they staged demonstrations in Seoul. Seoul's Mayor, Pu Yuanchun, who is also an opposition party MP, fully supported the demonstrations. In 2015, Japan and South Korea reached an agreement on the women used as wartime sex slaves, despite non-stop opposition in South Korea. With South Korean President Park Geun-hye having been impeached it is very likely that the civil agreement with Japan will be cancelled. On Dec. 28 in Busan, demonstrators clashed with police in front of the Japanese consulate. After four hours of clashes, police forcibly removed a statue of a young women representing the wartime sex slaves and expelled protestors. There was a public outcry against the police action. Protestors flooded and shutdown Busan City Government's phone lines and website. Finally Busan City's East District head, Pu San-suo held a press conference and allowed the people to set up the statue again. On Dec. 31 it was placed outside the Japanese Consulate in Busan and is the 37 such statue to be erected in South Korea. This angered the Japanese government. ==YOSHIHIDE SUGA Chief Japanese government spokesman== Last year the Japanese and South Korean governments came to an agreement on the so-called comfort women, a final and irreversible agreement. We feel that ignoring the agreement and placing a statue has an adverse effect on our relations. Yoshihide said that South Korea had violated the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, infringed on the dignity of the consular institution and strongly urged the South Korean government to withdraw the statue as soon as possible. Japan decided to temporarily recall its ambassador to Korea Yasumasa Nagamine and the Consul General in Busan Consul General in Busan Yasuhiro Morimoto. It also suspended all Japan-South Korea dialogue, including the currency swap agreement, and high-level economic agreements. It will wait for South Korean government reaction, to decide whether to cancel the diplomatic protest. South Korean media reported that after Japan announced these measures, the South Korean government expressed regret. However, it said the decision on whether or not to remove the statue was that of Busan city officials and said that the two sides should discuss the problem and financial and economic relations should not be affected by political and diplomatic incidents. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR 南韓總統朴槿惠遭彈劾停權後，民間團體要求取消日韓慰安婦協議的聲浪再起，並在上個月31號，在南韓釜山日本領事館前，新設立一座慰安婦少女像，引發日本官方不滿，決定暫時召回駐韓大使跟總領事，並暫停雙方的經濟合作會談。 ==南韓抗議民眾(2016.12.28)== 取消(日韓慰安婦)協議 南韓民眾高舉標語，在首爾上演示威遊行，台上首爾市長"朴元淳"，與在野黨國會議員，也全力支持。2015年日韓達成的慰安婦協議，在南韓民間反對聲浪不停，隨著總統"朴槿惠"被彈劾停權後，民間取消協議聲浪更大。上個月28號，除了在首爾發起示威遊行，釜山還有民眾搬來少女像，設置在當地日本領事館前，並且與警方發生推擠衝突。 長達四個小時衝突後，警方強制撤除少女像、驅逐抗議民眾，卻引起民眾更大反彈。抗議民眾癱瘓釜山市府電話、網站，釜山市東區區長"朴三碩"，最後召開記者會，允許民間團體設立雕像。31號在釜山日本總領事館前，南韓國內第37座慰安婦和平少女像設立後，也引發日本政府不滿。 ==日本官房長官 菅義偉== 去年 日韓對慰安婦問題達成 最終且不可逆轉的協議 對於南韓不理會(日韓慰安婦協議) 設置了(慰安婦)少女像 這是對日韓關係起了不佳影響 菅義偉表示，南韓做法違反了"維也納領事關係公約"規定中的，侵害領事機構尊嚴，強烈要求南韓政府，盡快撤走少女像外，決定暫時召回駐韓大使"長嶺安政"，跟駐釜山總領事"森本康敬"，並且暫停所有日韓對談方案，包括雙方"貨幣互換"協議，與高層經濟協議等，後續將會視南韓政府行動，再決定何時取消對抗措施。 但韓聯社報導，南韓得知日本做法後，除了表達遺憾外，對是否撤除少女像，表示一切將尊重釜山市東區自治單位做法，並強調雙方面對難題，應以互信為基礎，持續發展兩國關係，金融合作不應該受政治外交事務影響。 記者 陳詩童 報導。