Grandmother I Yong-su: "Let me meet President Moon... Suga should persuade to refer to ICJ" (Summary)

"Even the Harvard Professor Who Made Controversial Remarks Should Be Taken to the ICJ"

Grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery, is moving to meet with Minister Chung Eui-yong at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 3rd. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong met with grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery, on the 3rd to discuss referring the comfort women issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Grandmother Lee requested to meet President Moon Jae-in, urging him to persuade Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide to bring the comfort women issue to the ICJ.

Minister Chung met with Grandmother Lee around 3 p.m. at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reception room in Doryeom-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. This was the first meeting between Minister Chung and Grandmother Lee since his appointment.

Minister Chung and Ministry officials wore suits, while Grandmother Lee wore a gray durumagi (traditional Korean overcoat) as they entered the reception room. At the meeting, Minister Chung said, "Thank you for coming such a long way. We should have visited you," adding, "I wanted to invite you to my inauguration ceremony, but due to strict quarantine measures, I could not."

During the meeting, Grandmother Lee requested Minister Chung to refer the comfort women issue to the ICJ. After the meeting, she told reporters, "I came to congratulate the minister on his appointment and to ask him to handle the comfort women issue well," adding, "I asked him to arrange a meeting with the President and to persuade Prime Minister Suga to take the matter to the ICJ for a ruling."

Grandmother Lee urged President Moon to persuade Prime Minister Suga to file the comfort women issue with the ICJ. She said, "President Moon should appease Prime Minister Suga and take this (comfort women issue) to the ICJ to reveal the truth," adding, "We should also bring the Harvard professor who made offensive remarks and expose the facts there."

This refers to Professor John Mark Ramseyer of Harvard Law School, who characterized comfort women as 'voluntary prostitutes.'

She emphasized, "We want an apology, not money," and said, "We want Japanese students to understand why comfort women were created, to foster friendly exchanges with Japan, and to build a historical education center."

Grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery, is moving to meet Minister Chung Eui-yong at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 3rd. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Grandmother Lee expressed hope to meet President Moon and regarding President Moon’s March 1st Independence Movement Day speech emphasizing 'dialogue with Japan,' she said, "I think dialogue is necessary to persuade Prime Minister Suga to go to the ICJ."

Minister Chung reportedly responded to Grandmother Lee’s request by saying, "I will do my best." When she insisted again, "Please act, not just words," he replied once more, "I will do so."

Dr. Shin Hee-seok, active in the 'Committee for the Referral of the Japanese Military Comfort Women Issue to the ICJ,' which Grandmother Lee represents, conveyed the atmosphere of the meeting, saying, "Minister Chung said he highly appreciates the grandmother’s activities and that he will carefully review her words."