Background
Korea was a Japanese colony from August 29, 1910 to August 15, 1945 (35 years). The Japanese Military Sexual Slavery system refers to crimes that the Japanese military committed from 1930s to 1945. During that period, the Japanese military systematically set up ‘military comfort stations’ by recruiting women from colonised and occupied zones and forcing them to serve as sex slaves. After Japan was defeated in 1945, ‘comfort women’ were abandoned back in the regions they were taken from, dead by bombings, or killed by the Japanese military.
The women who survived struggled in finding a way back home, or had to give up going back home. The wounds and trauma from beatings, torture, and sexual violence in the ‘comfort stations’ left the victims in pain, unable to give birth or have a family of their own. Furthermore, they were kept silent due to psychological trauma and ignorance and discrimination of the public.
Professor Youn Chung-ok presented the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery to the public during the Women and Sex Tourism seminar in 1988. Afterwards, feminist organisations joined in solidarity to establish the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (The Korean Council) on November 16th, 1990.
However, the Japanese government denied its involvement with the issue. On August 14th, 1991, Kim Hak-Soon made the first press interview in Korea to make a public testimony that she was a survivor. Her courageous testimony gave hope for other survivors who had been silent to come out to the world.
Activities
- Awarness raising through protest: The Korean Council has held Wednesday demonstrations, in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, demanding the settlement of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery issue since January 8, 1992 (from noon to 1pm). Participants to demontrations include surviors of military sexual slavery by Japan, civic groups, women, students, citizens, and the association of major superiors of Women religious in Korea. Each congregation has been taking turns participating the demonstration.
- Awarness raising through art: On December 14, 2011, the 1,000th Wednesday Demonstration was held and the Statue of Peace was revealed (in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul).
Outcomes
- A deeper sense of history
- Awareness of the suffering and after effects of colonisation
- Compassion for a country with a similar history
- Hope for the Future through the many young people who join this demonstration
- Solidarity for Peace of the World
- Consciousness that there can not be peace without true apology.
- The Wednesday demonstrations have become a platform for remembrance, solidarity, and education, regardless of participants’ gender, age, and nationality.
