"During Forced Labor, Severed Fingers... Japanese Supervisor Threw Them While Laughing"

Forced Labor Victim Grandma Kim Seong-ju's Statement
Civil Groups Urge Nullification of Government's Solution

"My left index finger was cut off while doing forced labor, and the Japanese supervisor repeatedly threw my finger into the air, saying 'It's funny.' I still harbor resentment about that."

Kim Seong-ju, a victim of forced labor under Japanese colonial rule, tearfully said this at a meeting held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 7th. This meeting was urgently organized by the civic group 'Korea-Japan Historical Justice and Peace Action (hereafter Peace Action)' to highlight the unfairness of the forced labor resolution announced by the government on the 6th.

On the 7th, at the emergency national declaration held on the stairs in front of the National Assembly Main Building in Yeouido, Seoul, titled 'Condemn the Government's Forced Enforcement of Humiliating Forced Mobilization Measures! Demand Apology and Compensation from Japan!', Kim Seong-ju, a victim of forced mobilization, is wiping her face with a handkerchief. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Grandmother Kim said, "They lured us by saying we would get paid if we worked, took us away, and made us suffer lifelong illnesses," adding, "We are trying to get an apology from Japan, but only irrelevant talk is coming out now," and expressed her anger, saying, "Even now, Japan does not have the heart to admit wrongdoing."

Another forced labor victim, Grandmother Yang Geum-deok, who was also present, said, "The elementary school principal said that if we went to Japan, we would be educated, but we only suffered at Mitsubishi." Grandmother Yang recalled, "The hunger was the hardest part," and said, "I wanted to eat even the leftover rice from Japanese women, but when they deliberately crushed and stepped on it, that was the most heartbreaking."

Both grandmothers won the final lawsuit for damages against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan, and according to the government's resolution, they would receive compensation from a fund contributed by Korean companies. However, the grandmothers reiterated their refusal to accept compensation in this manner.

Lee Guk-eon, director of the Citizens' Group for Forced Mobilization under Japanese Rule, who attended the meeting, said, "Perhaps to ensure procedural legitimacy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs persistently requested meetings with the victims." In fact, the government stated that it contacted 13 of the 15 victims, bereaved families, and relatives involved in three forced labor lawsuits with confirmed court rulings to hear their opinions on the resolution.

Grandmother Kim Seong-ju, a victim of forced mobilization, is speaking at an urgent press conference held on the stairs in front of the National Assembly main building in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 7th, demanding Japan's apology and compensation while condemning the forced mobilization compensation solution enforcement. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Kim Young-hwan, head of external cooperation at the Institute for Korean Historical Issues, criticized the government's hasty opinion gathering, saying, "It is true that a quick resolution is desired, but it should not be resolved in this way."

Peace Action, composed of 611 organizations including the Justice and Memory Foundation, the Institute for Korean Historical Issues, and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, issued an emergency declaration at the meeting. In the declaration, they strongly criticized, stating, "March 6, 2023, will be recorded as the worst day in the history of the Republic of Korea's constitutional governance, a second national humiliation day," and "The government has undermined the fundamental order of our constitution that 'colonial rule is illegal' by itself."

They further asserted, "If Japan truly reflects, it should apologize now and comply with the rulings of the Korean Supreme Court."

According to Peace Action, 9,020 people, including 1,464 organizations, former National History Compilation Committee Chairman Lee Man-yeol, and writer Shin Kyung-rim, signed the declaration. Peace Action plans to start a 'National Signature Campaign to Nullify the Forced Mobilization Resolution' and hold a nationwide rally at Seoul Plaza on the 11th to demand the invalidation of the forced labor resolution.

Meanwhile, opposition party lawmakers also attended the event. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration must clearly remember what kind of judgment the Park Geun-hye government received due to the wrong comfort women agreement in the past," and added, "They must withdraw the new problem that enrages the public and the victims."