[Photo] “Comfort woman” survivor calls on president to fulfill promises

Posted on : 2023-03-23 17:36 KST Modified on : 2023-03-23 17:46 KST
Participants called for the discussions that took place during the summit to be made public
Human rights activist Lee Yong-soo speaks at the 1,588th Wednesday Demonstration on March 22. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)
Human rights activist Lee Yong-soo speaks at the 1,588th Wednesday Demonstration on March 22. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)

At the first Wednesday Demonstration held since the summit between South Korean and Japanese leaders, participants called for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s resolution to the issue of compensation for victims of forced labor during Japan’s colonial rule.

The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan and other civic groups as well as the Progressive Party held the 1,588th Wednesday Demonstration for the Resolution of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Issue on March 22 outside the former Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul, where they criticized the last week’s summit between Korea and Japan.

Lee Yong-soo, a human rights activist who is a survivor of the “comfort women” sexual slavery system herself, urged the government of Korea to return the entirety of the 1 billion yen that Japan transferred to the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation.

Participants at the 1,588th Wednesday Demonstration on March 22 hold up signs calling for the Yoon administration’s plan for compensating former forced laborers to be withdrawn. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)
Participants at the 1,588th Wednesday Demonstration on March 22 hold up signs calling for the Yoon administration’s plan for compensating former forced laborers to be withdrawn. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)

“While he was still only a candidate, President Yoon came to me in Daegu and told me that he would solve issues of history,” Lee said. “He promised he would solve them even if he didn’t become president. I’m here today to ask if that was a lie.”

Participants called for the discussions that took place during the summit to be made public, particularly those concerning the issues of Dokdo, imports of Fukushima seafood, and implementation of the 2015 agreement on the “comfort women” issue.

Moreover, participants called for a formal apology from Japan for its war crimes, and demanded legal reparations.

Participants at the 1,588th Wednesday Demonstration on March 22 hold up signs demanding a formal apology and legal reparations from Japan. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)
Participants at the 1,588th Wednesday Demonstration on March 22 hold up signs demanding a formal apology and legal reparations from Japan. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)
Participants at the 1,588th Wednesday Demonstration on March 22 hold up signs demanding a formal apology and legal reparations from Japan. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)
Participants at the 1,588th Wednesday Demonstration on March 22 hold up signs demanding a formal apology and legal reparations from Japan. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)

By Kang Chang-kwang, senior staff writer

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