Jung Young-ae Meets Grandmother Lee Yong-su: "Efforts to Collect and Spread Records of Comfort Women Victims"

Meeting with Grandmother Lee Yong-soo for about two hours two months after inauguration
Grandmother Lee: "Ramseyer's paper is not an issue for direct government response"
On request to expand youth exchanges between the two countries: "Strengthen support for private commemorative projects"

On the 1st, Jung Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, met with Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery, at a restaurant near Gwanghwamun to discuss current issues such as the direction of commemorative projects related to the victims and support for the victims.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Jeong Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, met with Grandma Lee Yong-soo on Samiljeol (Independence Movement Day) and said, "We will strive to systematically collect and disseminate the historical records of the comfort women victims."

On the 1st, Minister Jeong met with Grandma Lee Yong-soo at a restaurant near Gwanghwamun and exchanged opinions for two hours on current issues and victim support.

Regarding the controversial paper by Professor Mark Ramseyer, who claimed that comfort women victims were prostitutes, Grandma Lee stated, "There is abundant evidence that Japan forcibly took them and violated their human rights, but I think it is not a matter the government should directly respond to." She added, "Japan must properly apologize while even one victim is still alive."

Grandma Lee reiterated her opinion that "to clarify the responsibility of the Japanese government regarding the issue of Japanese military comfort women, it is necessary to file a case with the International Court of Justice and receive a ruling."

In response, Minister Jeong said, "We will actively review the areas where the government can support the efforts that Grandma Lee Yong-soo, who has worked to raise awareness and resolve the Japanese military comfort women issue, wishes to promote," and "It is our duty to play an active role to ensure that the grandmothers' intentions are well conveyed."

Regarding the request for strengthening student and youth exchanges and education between Korea and Japan, Minister Jeong said, "We will enhance support related to various commemorative projects being carried out by the private sector."

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to continue direct communication with the comfort women victims, continuously gather opinions from related academia and experts, and make efforts to raise awareness of the 'comfort women' issue through various means such as colloquiums and international conferences held by the Japanese Military Comfort Women Research Institute.