fumio kishida and yun byung-se met in seoul on monday for about an hour and then they spoke to reporters. >> translator: the honor and dignity of many women was hurt with the involvement of the imperial japanese army during war time. the japanese government feels responsibility for that. prime minister shinzo abe will make an official apology and express deep remorse for all the women who suffered from psychological and physical wounds that cannot be healed. >> kishida also said the japanese government will pay more than $8 million to a foundation to be established by the south korean government. he said the foundation is aimed at helping the women regain dignity and honor. yun said his government will cooperate with the steps the japanese government will take. >> translator: the government of south korea acknowledges the statement and measured announced by the japanese government. we confirm the issue will nowe resolved finally and irversably together with our japanese counterparts on condition the japanese government steadily carries out the steps it has agreed upon. >> and yun touched

. >>> japanese foreign minister fumio kishida has formally announced he'll visit south korea on mondayeeting with his counter part, to seek a conclusion on the issue of those referred to as comfort women. the lack of a consensus on the issue has been a continuous cause of friction between both countries. >> translator: the issue is extremely tough, but i hope to engage on last-ditch adjustments on what i can do. >> kishida also said he'll do his best to improve lateral ties within the year, which marks the 50th anniversary of the two countries' normalized relations. the two countries have had different views on history and territory for years. our next piece tells us how that has affected the relationship. >> reporter: relations between japan and south korea were good enough in 2002 for the two countries to jointly host the fifa world cup tournament. then in 2012, things took a nose dive. bak made a surprise visit to takeshima island in the sea of japan. south korea controls them, japan claims them. the japanese government claims the islands are an inherent part of japan 's territory.

. >> his counterpart fumio kishida told reporters that the statue would be relocated. but the group says it symbolizes their history and they don't condone the government's remarks on its removal or relocation. the largest opposition party also called the agreement unacceptable. party officials said japan has turned its back on its legal responsibility. president park made an announcement stressing that the agreement was reasonable and called on south korean people to accept it with a view to improving ties with japan. officials in the park administration are facing difficult challenges. they need to gain public approval for the agreement and persuade the group to cooperate in the relocation of the statue. south korean media are divided over the deal. the korea "joongang daily" newspaper offered a measure of support referring to prime minister's abe apology in its headline. it also cited criticism for the support group for the women. the "hankyoreh" criticized the deal, putting a photograph of the women on its front pauj and pointed out the agreement does not hold japa

. >>> now, south korean president geun-hye welcomed kishida at the presidential palace after the meeting. park told him she expects the conclusion will be accepted by all citizens. >> translator: what's most important is that the japanese government swiftly and sincerely takes action as agreed upon. their measures should heal the wounds of the victims and regain their honor and dignity. >> japanese prime minister shinzo abe als agreement. >> translator: in a statement that i issued in august to mark 70 years since the end of world war ii, i said japan has repeatedly expressed feelings of remorse and apologized for its actions during the war. i stand behind that statement. >> abe also said he hopes the agreement will usher in a new era for relations between japan and south korea. now people in the region are watching to see if japan and south korea can implement the steps needed to resolve one of their biggest sources of tension. nhk world's shuhei ikehata explains. >> reporter: abe and park both said they wanted to conclude the issue before the new year. 2015 is significant, marking 70 y