Eunpyeong-gu Holds Commemoration Event for Japanese Military 'Comfort Women' Victims Memorial Day

The event was held on the 14th at Eunpyeong Peace Park, where the ‘Eunpyeong Peace Statue of a Girl’ is located.

Memorial Day (August 14) marks the first day a victim testified about the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ issue.

Seoul’s Eunpyeong District (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) held a commemorative event on the 14th to mark the Memorial Day for victims of the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ system.

The Memorial Day for victims of the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ was designated as a national memorial day following the passage of a partial amendment to the Act on Protection, Support, and Commemoration of Victims of the Japanese Military ‘Comfort Women’ in 2017. August 14 is the day in 1991 when the late grandmother Kim Hak-soon (1924?1997) first publicly testified about her experience as a victim of the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ system.

To mark the Memorial Day, the district organized a commemorative event at Eunpyeong Peace Park, where the ‘Eunpyeong Peace Statue of a Girl’ is located. The ‘Eunpyeong Peace Statue of a Girl’ symbolizes remembering the pain of the comfort women victims and inheriting their noble spirit to emphasize the importance of peace. It was erected in Eunpyeong Peace Park on August 14, 2018, through voluntary fundraising by local residents.

The main event, a memorial ceremony, was held at 7 p.m. that day, featuring a moment of remembrance, commemorative speeches, poetry readings, performances, and flower offerings. Local youth actively participated from hosting to poetry reading and performances.

Additionally, side events such as experience booths and exhibitions were set up, where attendees enjoyed activities including ▲ making butterfly fans symbolizing hope ▲ writing messages wishing for peace ▲ remembering Memorial Day through caricatures and photos ▲ viewing award-winning works from the 2022 Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Youth Contest ▲ artworks by comfort women grandmothers ▲ and photos documenting the establishment of the Eunpyeong Peace Statue of a Girl.

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong District, said in her commemorative speech, “We will never forget and carry on the courage of the grandmothers who sought peace so that painful history will never be repeated,” adding, “Through this ceremony, we will envision a peaceful future together with our residents.”