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South Korean President Moon Jae-in pays his respects to former comfort woman and peace activist Kim Bok-dong at Severance Hospital’s funeral hall in Seoul on Jan. 29. (Blue House photo pool)

“I hope you fly away like a butterfly.”

That was the message that South Korean President Moon Jae-in left in the guest register at the wake of former comfort woman Kim Bok-dong. Moon paid his condolences at the funeral on the afternoon of Jan. 29.

Moon presumably meant that he hopes Kim will lay her heavy burden down and rest in peace like a butterfly, which has become the symbol of the comfort women.

The wake for Kim, who passed away on Jan. 28, was held at the funeral hall at Severance Hospital, in Seoul’s Seodaemun District. After bowing before a portrait of the deceased, Moon spoke briefly with Yoon Mi-hyang, president of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance. Yoon also chaired the committee that organized the public funeral for Kim, a fervent advocate of women’s rights.

“If only she’d lived a little longer, she could’ve seen the 100th anniversary of the Mar. 1 Movement and could’ve gone to Pyongyang [after the second] North Korea-US summit is held,” Moon said, expressing his sadness at Kim’s passing.

Next, Moon went to speak with Gil Won-ok, another former comfort women who was in an adjacent room after paying her respects. During a conversation that lasted for about 25 minutes, Moon told Gil he hopes she lives a long life. After a half hour at the wake, Moon left the funeral hall.

Before paying his respects, Moon shared the news of Kim’s passing on his Facebook account. “I won’t forget to rectify our history. I will do what’s right for the 23 comfort women who are still alive,” Moon wrote.

“Kim Bok-dong’s public testimony about what she had suffered as a comfort woman before the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1993 brought us face to face with a concealed history. She didn’t remain a victim but took the lead in setting history straight by asking for an apology for the barbaric behavior of the Japanese Empire and for legal compensation,” Moon wrote.

On Jan. 4, 2018, Moon invited eight former comfort women to the Blue House to eat lunch with him. When he learned that Kim couldn’t attend because of an upcoming surgery, he visited her in the hospital before the luncheon and expressed his wishes for her swift recovery.

By Kim Bo-hyeop and Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporters

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