South Korea has again called for global attention at the United Nations to Japan's wartime sexual slavery of women.

South Korea's deputy chief envoy to the UN Shin Dong-ik addressed the Third Committee of the 67th UN General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York on Monday, local time.

During a discussion on boosting the status of women, he called for global attention to victims who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War Two.

Shin expressed concern that the issue remains unresolved despite progress in international laws and institutions regarding wartime sexual violence and continued calls for global interest in the issue from the UN Commission on Human Rights' special rapporteur and others.

In the meeting, the Japanese government representative apologized for the victimized women. But the official reiterated Tokyo's stance that redemption of victims' rights was legally resolved, and health services and stipends as an apology were provided through the Asian Women's Fund.

Korea refuted Japan, saying the euphemistically termed "comfort women" issue constitutes crimes against humanity and cannot be considered resolved through the 1965 bilateral agreement on normalizing diplomatic ties. Seoul made it clear that Tokyo still holds legal responsibility.