Minister Jeong Young-ae Criticizes Ramseyer's Paper: "Lacks Basic Qualifications as a Researcher"

Minister Jeong: "Comfort Women Issue Confirmed as Human Rights Violation and Wartime Sexual Violence"
Discussion on Current Issues Including Ramseyer Paper and Grandmother Lee Yong-soo's ICJ Request

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] "It is very regrettable that attempts to belittle the comfort women issue continue, including the publication of papers that lack basic research standards."

On the 2nd, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Jeong Young-ae made this remark regarding Professor Mark Ramseyer's paper.

On the same day, Minister Jeong held an expert meeting at the Government Seoul Office to discuss current issues related to the Japanese military comfort women issue.

Minister Jeong stated, "The Japanese military comfort women issue has already been recognized internationally as a serious human rights violation and wartime sexual violence through the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Human Rights Council, and others. Despite these facts, attempts to distort the comfort women issue and damage the honor and dignity of the victims continue."

She added, "There was a meaningful court ruling on January 8, and on February 16, Grandmother Lee Yong-soo held a press conference demanding the filing of a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Various situations have arisen, so as the main ministry supporting comfort women victims, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family organized this meeting to hear experts' opinions on the ministry's role in victim support and honor restoration, as well as other related matters."

She continued, "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has carried out various support projects for the victim grandmothers and recently established the Japanese Military Comfort Women Research Institute to accumulate related materials and strengthen research and investigation functions. We plan to hold a colloquium between March and April and an international conference in the second half of the year."

On this day, Minister Jeong and experts discussed Professor Ramseyer's controversial paper that labeled Japanese military comfort women victims as 'voluntary prostitutes' and the ICJ filing issue requested by Grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military comfort women.

The meeting was attended by academic experts such as Professor Yang Hyun-ah of Seoul National University and Research Fellow Park Jeong-ae of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, Acting Director Yoon Myung-sook of the Comfort Women Issue Research Institute, lawyers Kim Kang-won and Lee Sang-hee who served as representatives in the damages lawsuit against the Japanese government, among others.