Civic groups on Wednesday criticized the government for trying to rush a settlement to resolve historical disputes with Japan in a bid to mend bilateral ties.

The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan and another group dedicated to seeking justice and peace held their weekly Wednesday rally outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

They argued that exactly seven years ago, the governments of Seoul and Tokyo reached a humiliating deal to settle the wartime sex slavery that did not take into consideration the opinions of victims of the very issue.

The groups voiced opposition to a hasty resolution in the name of enhancing bilateral relations and demanded that Japan acknowledge and apologize for its colonial occupation and war crimes.

The former Park Geun-hye administration in December 2015 struck an agreement with Tokyo to sort out the matter of wartime sexual enslavement in finality by remitting one billion yen to fund a project to support the victims.

The chairperson of the council's board, Lee Na-young, said that since the agreement, Japan’s denials, distortions of historical facts and insults to the victims have grown out of control.

Lee added that three elderly victims passed away this year without receiving an apology or compensation from Japan.