[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] Professor Ryu Seok-chun of Yonsei University claimed in an article published in a Japanese magazine on the 27th that "comfort women were victims of employment fraud, not abduction," prompting Professor Hosaka Yuji of Sejong University to point out that "there are many problems with Professor Ryu's remarks."
In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the morning of the 29th, Professor Hosaka Yuji said, "(Professor Ryu Seok-chun) stated that 'young Korean women who became comfort women were not forcibly taken or abducted by public authority. They were victims of employment fraud by private prostitution agencies.' However, as documented in historical records, the Japanese military selected the agents in strict secrecy, and those agents, along with guides, escorted the women to the locations," he explained.
He added, "The Japanese military controlled everything. Since the system was created so that the military knew everything and instructed, 'Keep it secret that we selected you,' it was not a case of private agents acting voluntarily. Even if it was employment fraud, once the women were put on ships, it became forced abduction. This is because military police were waiting upon arrival in places like Myanmar and immediately took them to comfort stations," he elaborated.
He continued, "The same applies to forced labor. The claim that Koreans voluntarily went to Japanese mines to work is completely false," criticizing, "At that time, the colonial public authority of Japan forcibly took people under the name of recruitment and imposed obligations without granting legitimate rights to Koreans."
He further stated, "The same goes for conscription. The important part is suffrage, which is the basic recognition as a citizen," and pointed out, "However, at that time, no voting rights were given for the House of Representatives, and only demands for rights were made while deceiving people into going to battlefields, mines, and comfort stations."
Regarding the Japanese government's opposition to South Korea's participation in the G7 summit, Professor Hosaka Yuji said, "If South Korea continues to participate as the second Asian country in the G7, Japan's status will decline and South Korea's influence will strengthen."
He added, "It can only be seen as opposition due to concerns that Korea's claims on historical issues, forced labor, and comfort women might gain international support."
He went on to explain, "Currently, the comfort women issue is not included in Japanese history textbooks. Issues such as exploitation under colonial rule have also largely disappeared. Therefore, young people who have not received education on this do not understand why they should apologize to Korea or China, and there is a strange phenomenon where they support Prime Minister Abe, who takes a hard line against Korea and China."
Previously, Professor Ryu sparked controversy by stating during his 'Development Sociology' lecture in the Sociology Department at Yonsei University in September last year that "comfort women are a type of prostitution."
Subsequently, Professor Ryu received a one-month suspension from the Yonsei University Faculty Disciplinary Committee in early last month.
However, on the 27th, Professor Ryu again stirred controversy by contributing an article titled "A Korean Professor Caught in the Whirlwind of Conflict Risks His Life to Appeal: The Fabricated Comfort Women Incident" to the August issue of the Japanese right-wing magazine 'Hanada.'
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