hankyoreh

A "V-Day" celebration will take place in South Korea for the first time on March 3-4. Started by Eve Ensler, the author of the worldwide hit play "The Vagina Monologues," V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls.

The event involves participants performing Ensler’s play sometime between February 14, Valentine’s Day, and March 8, International Women’s Day, and the proceeds go toward eliminating violence against women. V-day planners worldwide have collected up to US$40 million since 1998 and prepared related programs for over 5,000 communities, such as providing education to prevent violence against women and establishing centers for victims.

According to the official V-day Web site, "The ‘V’ in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina."

Thirty-five women, 15 staff and 17 performers both South Korean and foreign, have come together for the South Korean performance. Most of the participants are between their early 20s and late 30s, and are office workers who temporarily teamed up for the event. The V-day celebration in Korea was suggested by South Korean and foreign women who are guides at the House of Sharing, a support center for former comfort women, forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. The participants have prepared for the performance for the last two months.

Kimjo Yu-gyeong, a South Korean participant, said that a 2005 V-Day planning meeting featured a worldwide campaign about informing the world about the comfort women issue. Indeed, Catherine Robins from the United States said she came to know about the reality of the comfort women while participating in V-Day events for the past four years. "I believe a positive change can happen in the world through education and I am very glad that this performance can offer preventive education for violence against women," she said.

The upcoming performance will deal with various problems caused by sexual violence, especially systematic acts during times of war and conflict. But Andrea Lee, a Korean-American, stressed that she wants people "to think deeply" about both "human rights violations and violence against women and children during war, as well as sexual trafficking, which is happening in peacetime." Lee enjoyed conversing with the former comfort women at the House of Sharing. "To listen to what these grandmothers are saying is very emotionally taxing, but their statements greatly help me look back over my life and live the right way. Their firm resolve and positive outlook give me true inspiration," said Lee.

The performance will take place at "Bbang," a live stage in front of Hongik University, at 2pm on March 3 and 4. All the proceeds will be donated to the Korea Women’s Hot Line (KWHL) aimed at rooting out violence against women.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]