South Korea has expressed deep concern over recent remarks made by some Japanese politicians on historical issues at the United Nations.

South Korean ambassador to the UN mission in Geneva, Choi Seok-young, said the remarks justifying Japan’s wartime sexual slavery are evidence of the politicians’ grave misunderstanding of history and an insult to the victims’ dignity and truth. Ambassador Choi made the remark at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.

He also noted that many human rights treaty organizations have consistently been advising Japan to acknowledge its legal obligations, make amends, and apologize to the victims of its military’s wartime sexual slavery, which is an immoral crime against humanity.