A senior North Korean official on a visit to South Korea called Friday for Japan to apologize for the wartime forced labor of thousands of Koreans.
Ri Jong Hyok made the comments at a forum in Goyang, north of Seoul, which represented a rare effort by the rival Koreas to discuss Japan's actions before and during World War II. Anti-Japanese sentiment runs deep in both Koreas, which were colonized by Japan for 35 years before their division at the end of the war in 1945.
"Japan for the past 70 years has not even acknowledged its variety of war crimes such as forced labor and sexual slavery, let alone apologizing for them or compensating the victims," said Ri, vice chairman of North Korea's Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee.
North Korean Ri Jong Hyok, center, vice chairman of the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee talks with Lee Jae-myung, left, Gyeonggi province governor during the international convention for peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 in Goyang, South Korea. (Chung Sung-JunPool Photo via AP)
"(Japan) has been denying, concealing and downplaying its crimes and has even started praising them, taking steps toward creating a social atmosphere that would favor a reinvasion (of the Korean Peninsula)," he said.
The forum, which drew participants from seven other countries beside the Koreas, was focused on discussing Japan's forced mobilization of laborers in the region during World War II and how to boost exchanges now among Asia-Pacific countries. Ex-Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who has been apologetic about Japan's past wrongdoing, was also invited.
Officials from South Korea's national government said they have no plans to meet Ri and four other visiting North Korean officials during their stay in the South.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama speaks during the international convention for peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 in Goyang, South Korea. (Chung Sung-JunPool Photo via AP)
The Koreas have rarely taken joint steps to tackle history and other issues stemming from their colonization because of their decades-long split. But Seoul has been trying to facilitate exchanges with its rival in recent months following the North's shift to diplomacy after a series of nuclear and missile tests.
The Koreas have been holding various talks amid larger nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea. South Korea's Transportation Ministry said North Korea on Friday proposed connecting international air routes along the western and eastern coasts of the peninsula during working-level talks on aviation cooperation.
In 2010, South Korea banned the country's aircraft from using North Korean airspace as it imposed unilateral sanctions on the North following an attack on a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors.
North Korean Ri Jong Hyok, fourth from left, vice chairman of the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee poses with Lee Jae-myung, fifth from right, Gyeonggi province governor and Hatoyama Yukio, second from left, former Japanese Prime Minister attend for group photo during the international convention for peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 in Goyang, South Korea. (Chung Sung-JunPool Photo via AP)
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
