The foreign ministry has stressed the need for cautious consideration in response to a call by a former victim of Japan’s wartime sex slavery to take the issue to the UN Committee Against Torture(CAT). 

A ministry official told reporters on Tuesday that there is a need to further review the feasibility and effectiveness of such a move in terms of international laws. 

Earlier in the day, the 93-year old Lee Yong-soo delivered a letter containing signatures of other victims who support referring the wartime issue to the CAT to a presidential official.

The iconic activist also met with reporters and said she will seek to go through with the submission for the nation’s younger generation and to resolve the wartime issue. 

Lee had first proposed referring the sex slavery issue to the CAT during a news conference last October.

When asked to comment on the CAT issue during a regular press briefing, foreign ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam made similar remarks, saying the ministry is thoughtfully considering views from various sides.