hankyoreh

The 1,504th Wednesday demonstration to protest Japan's sexual enslavement during the colonial occupation takes place in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday. (Lee Jong-keun/The Hankyoreh)

Kim Hak-sun, who was 67 at the time and later died on Dec. 16, 1997, told an open news conference on Aug. 14, 1991, "Before I die, before I close my eyes, I want to vent my anger once through words."

"I decided to tell a historical fact that must be told one day," she added. Releasing pain that she had bottled up for 50 years, she said, "The [South Korean] government must ask Japan for an official apology and compensation for the comfort woman issue."

Former Hankyoreh reporter Kim Mi-gyeong, who was at the news conference, said, "I still vividly remember seeing [Kim] shaking and talking." Using her real name, Kim Hak-sun not only testified about Korean-Japanese history but also raised the issues of women's rights like sexual violence and Korean society's patriarchal culture, which made it impossible to bring up the problem.

At the time, however, the media failed to grasp the full gravity and meaning of the issue. Most dailies on Aug. 15, 1991, glossed over the news conference or put it in a box on the metro page.

The 1,504th Wednesday demonstration commemorated the 30th anniversary of the victim's testimony through an international solidarity meeting. Eighty-four groups from Korea, Germany, the US, Australia, Japan and the Philippines, under the slogan "I am Kim Hak-sun," urged the Japanese government to make an official apology and provide legal compensation to the victims.

One-person demonstrations and online solidarity comments were used because the greater Seoul area was at the highest social distancing status of Level 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants agreed that Kim Hak-sun's testimony helped restore the honor and dignity of all comfort women worldwide. Kim Soo-jeong, a manager at the group Seoul University Students for One Nation, posted in a comment, "Kim Hak-sun's testimony rocked the world. One person's courage awakened the world, and many people learned history and are acting for justice," adding, "More college students are prepared to fight while holding hands with grandmothers and fill the road toward peace at any time.

The 1,504th Wednesday demonstration to protest Japan's sexual enslavement during the colonial occupation takes place in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday. (Lee Jong-keun/The Hankyoreh)

Lee Na-young, president of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, added, "Victims at home and abroad, who had stayed silent for a long time, responded to Grandma Kim Hak-sun's courage with [the #MeToo movement]. They also became Kim Hak-suns themselves and pressed the Japanese government on its responsibility."

"We will keep asking and asking the Japanese government until it humbly acknowledges its crimes and repeatedly apologizes to victims all over the world."

To restore the honor of victims, the "Kim Hak-sun mindset" over the past 30 years has stressed women's rights and restoration of dignity to civic society everywhere. Moongchi, or the so-called Network of Those Who Have Experienced Prostitution, posted, "To resolve the issue of Japan's sexual slavery, we will provide support and solidarity with our hearts and actions. In line with the goal of Kim Hak-sun, we will take the lead in resolving the problems of violence against women and sexual exploitation."

Bang Hye-lin, head of the counseling support team at the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, said, "Even now, we're still hearing and seeing victims of sexual violence caused by our military and its culture. Watch the situation of our female soldiers, who are objectified as trophies.

Human rights groups, foreign nationals and students are filling the space vacated by grandmothers, expanding the movement for women's rights and peace worldwide through the Wednesday demonstration.

Meanwhile, a far-right YouTuber at the protest turned on a speaker and said, "[Comfort women], bring evidence of forced labor. I'll give you money if you bring the evidence." He was stopped by police while trying to enter the scene.

A Korean Council source said, "In the past, people were ashamed of pro-Japanese behavior, but since 2019, those who deny the history of comfort women have tried to interfere with the protest."

By Jang Pill-su, staff reporter

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