South Korea to unveil decision over 'comfort women' deal with Japan

"If Japan acknowledges the truth, offers heartfelt apologies to the victimized women and works with the global community to prevent a recurrence based on a lesson it learned, the women then will forgive Japan", he said.

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in had pledged to renegotiate the terms of the deal with Japan, which firmly said the agreement can not be amended.

"Soul-searching on whether a universal human (rights) issue and a historical issue like the comfort women affair could be settled through negotiations should have made it possible to avoid it", the former journalist with a progressive newspaper said.

Those opposed to the 2015 deal want Japan to take legal responsibility and provide due compensation.

South Korea has announced it would not seek renegotiation of terms of the landmark sex slavery deal with Japan in a sharp U-turn from its earlier position.

The comfort women issue has been a regular cause for contention between Japan and neighbours China and North and South Korea since the war.

Moon said that he is not satisfied with the follow-up measures announced Tuesday but admitted that it was the results of taking into consideration of the country's relations with Japan as well. However, a foreign ministry official said on Tuesday, that they have taken time in recent weeks to communicate with the surviving victims and that opinions on how to tackle the deal had varied greatly. The United States, the biggest ally of South Korea and Japan, had praised the 2015 agreement, saying cooperation between the two major Asian democracies was important for regional stability.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha admitted Tuesday that it was an "undeniable fact" that ousted, and now jailed, President Park Guen-hye had made the deal with Japan, despite the agreement's unpopularity.

A senior Japanese government official said the talks between the two Koreas only benefit Pyongyang and would not contribute to resolving the threats posed by the country's ballistic missile and nuclear development. "Japan has kept up its side of the deal".

The steady implementation of this agreement is both countries' duty to the worldwide community, Kono said following South Korea announcing its policy position.

The government's latest announcement highlights a dilemma that it has faced in handling the comfort women deal reached by the previous administration.

Seoul will also pursue a "future-oriented" relations with Tokyo, and discuss how its one billion yen contribution for the victims will be processed.