S. Korea commemorates ‘comfort women’
Print Edition
SOUTH Korea marked its first “memorial day” yesterday for girls and women forced to work in Japan’s wartime brothels, with both of the United States allies expressing concern the emotionally charged issue could undermine their relations.
Under a 2015 deal, Japan apologized to the “comfort women,” its euphemism for women — many of them Korean — forced to work in its wartime brothels, and provided a 1 billion yen (now US$9.4 million) fund to help them.
But South Korea has recently sought to revisit the issue. “I hope that this issue will not lead to a diplomatic dispute between Korea and Japan. Nor do I see this as an issue that can be solved through diplomatic solutions between the two countries,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in comments marking the first “Memorial Day for Japanese Forces’ Comfort Women Victims.”
“It is an issue that can be solved only when the world, including ourselves and Japan, deeply reflects on sexual violence against women and human rights problems and comes to a strong awareness and learns a lesson in a way that prevents this from ever repeating again.”
Japan insists the issue was resolved by the 2015 deal, struck with a previous, conservative South Korean administration.
A monument was unveiled as part of the events to mark the day, chosen as it was on August 14, 1991, that South Korean comfort woman victim Kim Hak-sun became the first to give public testimony about her experience.
The issue has been a source of animosity between Japan and neighbors, including China, where earlier yesterday, more than 50 activists protested in front of Japan’s representative office in Taiwan. “Japanese government should apologize,” the protesters chanted, demanding compensation for the “comfort women” victims in Taiwan.
Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945 and occupied parts of China before and during the war.
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