Held at 2 p.m. on the 14th at Busan Citizens Hall: Commemoration Ceremony, Short Animation 'Sonyeo Iyagi', Memorial Performance, Side Events
Meaningful Event Honoring Japanese Military Comfort Women Victims... Free Admission for All Citizens
On June 14 at 2:00 p.m., Busan Metropolitan City will hold the "2024 7th Memorial Day for Victims of Japanese Military 'Comfort Women'" at the Small Theater of the Busan Citizens' Hall.
This event, hosted by the city and organized by the Busan Women's Association Council, is expected to be attended by over 200 citizens, related organizations, and groups.
This event is held in commemoration of Memorial Day, which was established as a national day to raise awareness of the Japanese military 'comfort women' issue and to honor the victims.
On August 14, 1991, the late Kim Haksoon, a victim of the 'comfort women' system, became the first to publicly testify about her experiences. Later, at the Asian Solidarity Conference in 2012, this date was declared the World Memorial Day for Victims of Japanese Military 'Comfort Women' to promote resolution of the issue.
The government designated Memorial Day as a national day in December 2017, and since 2018, the city has held annual commemorative events, marking the seventh occasion this year.
Currently, there are a total of nine surviving victims of Japanese military 'comfort women' nationwide, and since August 2020, there have been no survivors residing in Busan.
The event will proceed in the following order: ▲ Part 1: Commemorative Ceremony and screening of a short animation ▲ Part 2: Memorial performances (including choir, Korean traditional music, and musicals). In addition, there will be ▲ side events such as commemorative exhibitions.
Part 1 will feature the "Memorial Day Commemorative Ceremony" and a screening of the short animation "A Girl's Story" directed by Kim Junki. "A Girl's Story" is an animation produced using the actual recorded interview of the late Jung Seoun, who was taken to Java Island in Indonesia and lived as a Japanese military 'comfort woman' for several years.
Part 2 will feature the memorial performance "Forget-Me-Not" (Please Don't Forget Me). With the theme of the sorrow and anger of the 'comfort women' victims, as well as their regained hope and courage, various performers including the Korean traditional music group "Heibeu" will present a variety of performances such as fusion Korean music, mixed choir, and musical numbers.
In addition, various citizen participation side events such as commemorative exhibitions, photo zones, and "Leave a Message of Remembrance" will be held in the lobby of the Small Theater at the Citizens' Hall.
This event is a meaningful occasion to raise awareness of the Japanese military 'comfort women' issue and to honor the victims, and is open to all citizens free of charge.
Woo Miok, Director of the City’s Department of Women and Family, stated, "I hope that this Memorial Day event will serve as an opportunity to deeply understand the pain of the victims of Japanese military 'comfort women,' to remember their courage and voices, and to reflect once again on the value of correct historical awareness and human rights."
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