By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
SEOUL, South Korea– Korean “comfort women,” women who were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II, held their 900th weekly protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.
Victims protest in front of Seoul’s Japanese Embassy. Courtesy of Yonhap News.
Since this demonstration first began on January 8, 1992, victims and activists continue to gather every Wednesday.
Gil Won-ok, one of the women who were forced to serve Japanese soldiers during the War, said, “I want the whole world to know of this terrible history to prevent it from every happening again.”
These women and activists vow that they will never give up until Japan apologizes and compensates the “comfort women” for its wartime atrocities.
At this week’s rally, Kim Hak-sun, another former “comfort woman,” recalled the painful memories from her past. She said she was just 17 years old when she was taken by the Japanese soldiers and was forced to have sex with four to five soldiers a day while being kept under watch 24 hours a day.
Kim also recalled that she was beaten whenever she tried to escape. She said, “I still shudder when I see the Japanese flag.”
A Seoul-based rights group, The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, said, “Almost a century has passed since a number of young [Korean] women’s lives and human rights were infringed. But the perpetrator has never acknowledged the crime. The…demonstration will continue until the Japanese government takes responsibility.”
The U.S., the Netherlands, Canada and Australia have all adopted resolutions calling the Japanese government to acknowledge and apologize for sexual enslavement of Korean “comfort women.”
The United Nations Human Rights Council has also been urging Japan to resolve this issue, but Japan has yet to offer an official apology or enact laws to pay compensations to the “comfort women.” In fact, Japan’s right-wing groups are attempting to delete references to “comfort women” in Japanese school textbooks.
Many of the victims have passed away without ever receiving an apology or reparations from Japan for the abuses they suffered as a result of sexual enslavement. Out of approximately 200,000 Korean women who were taken by the Japanese military and made into “comfort women,” only 87 comfort women remain with most of them in their 70’s and 80’s.
For more information, please see:
The Chosun Ilbo – ‘Comfort Women’ Mark 900th Protest at Japanese Embassy –13 January 2010
The Korea Times – Activist From Canada Attends Comfort Women’s 900th Protest – 13 January 2010
Yonhap News – Activists, comfort women hold 900th Japanese Embassy protest – 13 January 2010
