hankyoreh

Jan. 26. (by Lee Jeong-ah

By Lee Jae-uk, staff reporter

For the duration of the Catholic ceremony for the departed, the singing of hymns never stopped. “Watch over the soul that has departed today,” they sang. “Give her eternal peace and rest.”

A recent remark by NHK chairman Katsuto Momii that every country has had its comfort women could have disturbed Hwang Geum-ja’s passing, but in her funeral portrait, her face was at peace.

Hwang Geum-ja, who was forcibly mobilized as a comfort woman for the Japanese imperial army, passed away at the Bumin Hospital in Seoul on Jan. 26. After being hospitalized last month for ailments associated with old age, her health deteriorated. Ultimately, she died of sepsis. 237 former comfort women have been registered with the government, but Hwang’s death brought the number remaining alive today down to 55.

Hwang was born in Yeongheung County (now known as Keumya), South Hamgyong Province in what is now North Korea, in 1924. Around the age of 13, she was abducted by Japanese police on the street and forced to work in a glass factory in the city of Heungnam for three years. Next, she was taken against her will to Manchuria. As a teenager, her first blush of youth was defiled by Japanese soldiers.

While the suffering of the comfort women ended along with the Pacific War when Japan surrendered in Aug. 1945, Hwang’s twenties must have been a nightmare. Aside from government records showing that she had a daughter in 1956 that died at the young age of 26, the details of Hwang’s life from her 20s to her 60s have never been revealed. She kept those stories deep in her heart. Hwang’s past as a comfort woman became known in 1993, when she registered with the government as a victim of sexual slavery.

The trauma of Hwang’s past revealed itself in visual and auditory hallucinations. “One night I got a call from her,” said Kim Jeong-hwan, 49, chief of social welfare at Gangseo District Office, recalling one disturbing memory. “She wanted me to call the police and have them drive away the Japanese police in front of her house. Later, I found out that Hwang had been startled when she saw students coming home from school near the apartment where she lived. When she saw the black school uniforms the students were wearing, she confused them for the black uniforms of the Japanese police.”

“When she was lying down at home, she would sometimes say that someone was coming in through the window,” said Cho Myung-rim, 52, who cared for Hwang for more than two years.

Cho added that before her death, Hwang spoke of dearly missing her deceased daughter and tried to leave her home to seek her out. Just before she died, Hwang also spoke of having a presentiment that she was about to die.

Hwang also had a severe case of social anxiety disorder. Her painful memories from her youth prevented her from trusting people. Even after revealing that she had been a comfort woman, Hwang found it difficult to visit public places.

“She attended the Wednesday demonstrations for a while, but later she only came out for special rallies. Other than that, she hardly took part in any public activities,” said Seon Ji-eun, an administrator for the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.

Instead of making appearances in front of other people, Hwang was committed to saving money. She was extremely careful with the little money she received: reparations, living expenses, and old age pension. “Even in the dead of winter, Hwang never turned on the heater,” said Cho. “She picked up old paper and empty bottles, and she was very frugal.” In this fashion, she was able to save thousands of dollars.

“As her savings increased, Hwang started feeling a lot of pressure and insecurity. For a long time, she had not been able to take good care of important items, and she felt nervous about that. Because of her past, she felt wary of other people and didn’t trust her neighbors,” said Kim Jeong-hwan. “She wanted us to bury the money in her coffin with her when she died.”

When Hwang started using her money for a good cause, her face began to brighten, Kim said. “I told her that if she takes her money in the coffin with her, it will rot and not be of any use. I suggested that she use it for something good. Eventually, Hwang made up her mind to donate the money. She said that after she gave the money away, she actually felt happy and content,” Kim said with tears in his eyes.

Hwang made donations to the Gangseo District Scholarship Foundation, giving 40 million won in 2006, 30 million won in 2008, and 30 million won in 2010. In 2011, she was awarded the Dongbaek Order of Civil Merit, the first prize made by popular recommendation.

Also in 2011, Hwang wrote a will stating that all her assets - around 50 million won, including her housing deposit and savings - would go to the Gangseo District Scholarship Society upon her death. The Hwang Geum-ja Scholarship, operated by the society, has helped twelve high school and university students living in Gangseo District with their studies since 2007.

Hwang Geum-ja’s memorial service - which took place on Jan. 26 at the funeral home at Ewha Womans University’s Mokdong Hospital - was packed with visitors. Hwang’s funeral is the first “people’s funeral” that will be held in Gangseo District. The “people’s funeral” ordinance, enacted in Gangseo District for those who have contributed to community development, was made with Hwang in mind.

The funeral will be held at 10 in the morning on Jan. 28 outside Gangseo District Office. Hwang will be laid to rest at Heavenly Cemetery at Samgakji Cathedral in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

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