Victims of Japan’s wartime forced labor claim that the government has failed to reflect their opinions in its proposal to compensate the victims through a third party, rather than directly from Japanese companies.

A civic group representing the victims, and their legal representatives, Lim Jae-sung and Kim Jung-hee, made the claim on Thursday during a debate, jointly organized by the office of independent lawmaker Kim Hong-gul and an association of civic organizations devoted to addressing Japan’s wartime issues. 

In a statement, Lim and Kim claimed  that the government’s idea of communication with the victims and their families was a one-way notification rather than an exchange of opinions. They said the foreign ministry had only informed them that negotiations with Japan on compensating the victims had been difficult. 

The lawyers added that the victims were able to get more information from media reports than the foreign ministry.

Lim and Kim said the victims have consistently expressed opposition to the proposal, adding that they will devise response measures if the government pushes forward with its plan.