Groups call for peace and justice ahead of ‘comfort women’ memorial day

Several posters adorned the statue of a young woman in Seoul’s Jongno District on Wednesday, expressing hopes for a world without war and an apology from Japan for the exploitation of women as sex slaves during World War II. These protesters were part of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, who held their 1,765th Wednesday Demonstration.

The event took place in coordination with 222 groups across 10 nations to remember the "comfort women" on the 14th International Memorial Day for Comfort Women. The statue, part of a series, represents the women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during the war. The demonstration was held at the Asian Solidarity Conference, where the 14th August was chosen as the date to commemorate the comfort women, a day when Kim Hak-soon bravely broke the silence about her experiences.

This year’s demonstration was especially significant as barricades blocking demonstrators were removed and the statue was no longer protected by barricades, allowing them to stand close to the statue. The Korean law also now criminalizes the spreading of false information about the comfort women. Han Kyung-hee, secretary general of the Korean Council, expressed optimism about the gradual improvement in the situation, stating that after years of civic society efforts, the law protecting the former comfort women has been revised, allowing the prosecution of those spreading falsehoods.

The demonstrators called for an end to war, hate, and discrimination, and emphasized the need for justice based on the victims’ dignity, freedom, and rights. Two survivors, Park Pil-geun and Lee Yong-soo, expressed their gratitude and thanked those who participated in the rally via video. They also highlighted the importance of remembering the victims and not letting their memories be erased.