"Continuous Civic Attention Needed for the History of Comfort Women Victims"

Choi Seon, Spokesperson of Seoul Metropolitan Council, "We Must Correct History Remembering the Grandmothers Who Testified with Sincerity"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Choi Seon, spokesperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party of Korea, Gangbuk 3), on August 14th, the fourth ‘Day of Remembrance,’ urged the 10 million citizens of Seoul to actively participate in the Day of Remembrance events held both online and offline to commemorate the painful history of the Japanese military comfort women victims and to wish for better human rights and lasting peace.

The Day of Remembrance marks August 14, 1991, when Grandma Kim Hak-soon first publicly testified about her experience as a comfort woman, revealing the existence and suffering of Japanese military comfort women victims to the world for the first time in South Korea. The government designated the Day of Remembrance as a national memorial day in December 2017, making this year the fourth anniversary.

Spokesperson Choi said, “It was the victims themselves, the grandmothers, who overcame their fear and brought the truth about the comfort women to light,” and added, “I hope we all remember the late Grandma Kim Hak-soon, who courageously spoke about her experience in public 30 years ago, as well as many other grandmothers who testified with earnestness until the end of their lives to correct history.”

She also stated, “Our comfort women movement must continue until Japan offers a proper apology and compensation so that their cries are not in vain,” and added, “I hope citizens participate in the Day of Remembrance events in various ways to remember this painful history together and reaffirm the importance of correct history, human rights, and the future of peace.”

On the same day at 11 a.m., the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family held a video memorial ceremony for the ‘Day of Remembrance’ via YouTube, and Seoul City also hosted an international forum titled ‘International Issues and Cooperation Tasks on Japanese Military Comfort Women’ on its official YouTube channel starting at 10 a.m.