Prosecutors Clear Former Professor Who Claimed 'Comfort Women Were Voluntary Prostitutes'

"Remarks Constituted Opinion or Evaluation... Not Defamation"
Lee Yongsoo Also Submitted a Handwritten Letter Urging Punishment

Statue of Peace. Seo-gu, Gwangju

A former Kyung Hee University professor who made remarks from the podium suggesting that victims of the Japanese military’s 'comfort women' system were 'voluntary prostitutes' has been cleared of charges.

On November 26, the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office (headed by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Eunha) announced that it had decided not to indict Choi Jeongsik, former professor of philosophy at Kyung Hee University, who had been referred to prosecutors on November 21 on defamation charges.

The prosecution reportedly concluded that Professor Choi’s remarks did not specify particular facts, but rather constituted opinions or evaluations emphasizing his personal judgment on a social phenomenon, and therefore did not meet the requirements for defamation.

Professor Choi was accused of making statements damaging to the honor of victims of the Japanese military’s comfort women system during a “Foundations of Western Philosophy” lecture in March 2023. At the time, he was found to have said things such as, “People who followed the Japanese military and engaged in prostitution,” and “They were not taken by force but went voluntarily.”

The Dongdaemun Police Station, which investigated the case following a complaint from a civic group, referred Professor Choi to the prosecution without detention on defamation charges in February last year. Lee Yongsoo, a 97-year-old survivor of the comfort women system, also submitted a handwritten statement demanding severe punishment for Professor Choi.

As the controversy grew, Kyung Hee University Foundation convened a disciplinary committee and imposed a three-month salary reduction on Professor Choi, who reportedly retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age in February last year.