Grandmother Gil Won-ok, Victim of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery, Passes Away... Number of Survivors Reduced to 7

Acting Minister of Gender Equality and Family:
"Having endured many hardships in life,
may she now find peace"

Grandmother Gil Won-ok, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery, passed away on the 16th at the age of 97.

Yonhap News

Shin Young-sook, Acting Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, conveyed the news of Grandmother Gil's passing on the same day, saying, "Grandmother Gil Won-ok was someone who actively worked to raise awareness of the Japanese military sexual slavery victimization both domestically and internationally."

She continued, "It is very heartbreaking to see another victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery pass away," and expressed her hope that "having endured many hardships during her lifetime, she may now find peace."

With Grandmother Gil's passing, the number of surviving victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery has decreased to seven. There are a total of 240 victims registered with the government, of whom 233 have died. The survivors reside in Seoul, Daegu, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam with one person each, and three in Gyeonggi. By age, two are between 90 and 95 years old, and five are 96 or older. The average age is 95.7 years.

Acting Minister Shin emphasized, "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will closely monitor and support the victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery to ensure they can spend their remaining years comfortably, while continuing efforts to restore the victims' honor and dignity."