Kyung Hee University Professor Sparks Outrage with Statement "Comfort Women Were Voluntary Prostitutes"

Professor Choi Jeong-sik, Twice Claims Last Year and This Year
Current Students and Alumni Association Demand Dismissal, Civic Groups Also File Lawsuit

A professor in the Department of Philosophy at Kyung Hee University has sparked controversy by making remarks twice during lectures suggesting that "comfort women were voluntary prostitutes." Students have protested demanding the professor's dismissal, and civic groups have filed complaints, but the professor insists on his stance, saying he was merely stating facts.

On the 20th, the "Statue of Peace" in front of Heukseok Station, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, had its cheek, head, and bird-shaped sculpture on the shoulder damaged. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

According to the Kyung Hee University Philosophy Department Alumni Association on the 1st, Professor Choi Jeong-sik of the department made statements denying the "forced mobilization" of Japanese military comfort women twice last year and this year during his lectures.

He is reported to have said in the first semester of last year during the "Foundations of Western Philosophy" lecture, "The majority of Japanese military comfort women went voluntarily." At that time, the Philosophy Department Student Council and Alumni Association protested, and posters demanding Professor Choi retract his remarks and apologize were posted on campus. Kyung Hee University held an operations committee meeting, but the situation was temporarily resolved after Professor Choi announced he would retract the statement.

However, Professor Choi repeated similar remarks in the same lecture during the first semester of this year. In a lecture last March, he reportedly said, "Those who followed the Japanese military and engaged in prostitution are the comfort women." When a student asked, "Are you saying that the victims of the Japanese military comfort women are lying?" he responded, "It is a lie. They were not taken by force. Those who went there said they earned a lot of money and it was good, so they went voluntarily."

Upon learning of this, the Philosophy Department Alumni Association issued statements condemning Professor Choi's remarks and urging disciplinary action three times. Since the 30th of last month, protests demanding Professor Choi's dismissal have continued in front of the main gate of Kyung Hee University's Seoul campus. The civic group Committee for the Protection of the Common People’s Livelihood (Seominwi) also filed a defamation complaint against Professor Choi.

Kyung Hee University Philosophy Department Alumni Association Protesting for the Dismissal of Professor Choi Jung-sik [Photo by Yonhap News]

As the controversy grew, on September 26th, Professor Choi posted a notice on campus stating, "I have never claimed that all comfort women were prostitutes in licensed brothels," but added, "Going into prostitution due to deception is clearly different from being kidnapped. Considering the economic and social conditions at the time, it was common for daughters of concubines, daughters of servants, and daughters of the poor to be sold."

He also pointed to those raising issues as "some alumni and external groups trying to make political claims."

In response, Seominwi filed a police complaint against Professor Choi for defamation, insult, and obstruction of business, accusing him of disparaging the organization. The Justice and Memory Solidarity demanded an apology from Professor Choi and issued a statement urging Kyung Hee University to prepare measures to prevent recurrence.

Kyung Hee University announced through the campus newspaper on the 29th of last month that it would soon hold a faculty personnel committee meeting to discuss whether to discipline Professor Choi.

Regarding this, Professor Choi told Yonhap News, "Disciplinary action is unreasonable," and reiterated, "I was only stating the fact that Japan did not kidnap and forcibly take comfort women."