hankyoreh

In front of the former Japanese embassy in Seoul, along with a comfort woman statue, lie bronze plaques bearing the names of the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery. The plaques were placed on the curb of a street by the former embassy in 2016 .

One such plaque reads, “Kim Hak-soon, a victim of Japanese military sexual slavery, born in Jilin, China, was 17 years old when she was taken to Hebei, China. (1924.10.20-1997.12.16).”

The plaques have become discolored, and the words on them have worn down over time. Despite all the time that has passed, no actual resolution has been achieved for the issue of military sexual slavery.

The Wednesday demonstration for the “comfort women” victims will soon hit the 1,500 mark on July 14. We should never forget the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery, no matter how worn out the plaques are.

By Lee Jong-keun, staff photographer

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