By Jane Han
DALLAS ― For Koreans in the U.S., the wartime sex slavery issue is far from over. In fact, many say they're only getting started.
Soon after South Korea and Japan reached a landmark agreement last week to resolve a decades-long impasse over the "comfort women" issue, Korean communities across the United States began organizing a number of campaigns against what they say is a ''humiliating'' deal.
The deal, which was intended to put to rest the biggest diplomatic problem between Seoul and Tokyo, includes an apology from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a 1 billion yen fund to help the now-elderly Korean women who were forced into Japanese military brothels during World War II.
But those unhappy with the agreement say that the victims had no voice in the negotiations and details agreed in the accord and that Japan failed to take legal responsibility for its sex crimes.
''We need to stand up for what we believe is right. It is our responsibility as Koreans,'' said Kim Young-joo, 46, a Los Angeles mother of two.
She is among the immigrant women working to organize a donation campaign to build comfort women memorials throughout the country.
Since the first-ever comfort women monument in the U.S. was erected in Palisades Park, New Jersey, in 2010, seven other monuments and memorials have been built in several cities, including Los Angeles and Fairfax.
"This issue lives strong in the U.S. Just because we're physically far from home doesn't mean we'll neglect our country's history," said Kim.
She said she will take part in Wednesday's nationwide rally, where hundreds will gather in eight cities, including San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago, to call for a complete renegotiation of the deal.
Eunice Park, 44, who also plans to attend the rally in Washington D.C. adds that she is hopeful that U.S. Koreans can help create changes.
''Various Korean communities big and small have actively advocated for the elderly survivors. We've successfully promoted this issue to some degree so I'm optimistic that our hard work will pay off,'' Park said.
Park said that she and a few others plan to launch a social media campaign to further promote the situation.
Not all against
While many first- and second-generation immigrant Koreans aren't shy about criticizing the latest agreement, some cringe at their efforts.
"The Korean government did what they could do. Just like all those newspaper ads defaming the Park Geun-hye government, this isn't going to help boost Korea's image in any way," said Park Young-sik, 71, who lives in Dallas.
Others who share similar views took their opinions online.
"Do these people really think they're going to make a change?" wrote one person on the popular online site Missy USA. "They call the deal humiliating, but their anti-government rallies are even more humiliating."
DALLAS ― For Koreans in the U.S., the wartime sex slavery issue is far from over. In fact, many say they're only getting started.
Soon after South Korea and Japan reached a landmark agreement last week to resolve a decades-long impasse over the "comfort women" issue, Korean communities across the United States began organizing a number of campaigns against what they say is a ''humiliating'' deal.
The deal, which was intended to put to rest the biggest diplomatic problem between Seoul and Tokyo, includes an apology from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a 1 billion yen fund to help the now-elderly Korean women who were forced into Japanese military brothels during World War II.
But those unhappy with the agreement say that the victims had no voice in the negotiations and details agreed in the accord and that Japan failed to take legal responsibility for its sex crimes.
''We need to stand up for what we believe is right. It is our responsibility as Koreans,'' said Kim Young-joo, 46, a Los Angeles mother of two.
She is among the immigrant women working to organize a donation campaign to build comfort women memorials throughout the country.
Since the first-ever comfort women monument in the U.S. was erected in Palisades Park, New Jersey, in 2010, seven other monuments and memorials have been built in several cities, including Los Angeles and Fairfax.
"This issue lives strong in the U.S. Just because we're physically far from home doesn't mean we'll neglect our country's history," said Kim.
She said she will take part in Wednesday's nationwide rally, where hundreds will gather in eight cities, including San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago, to call for a complete renegotiation of the deal.
Eunice Park, 44, who also plans to attend the rally in Washington D.C. adds that she is hopeful that U.S. Koreans can help create changes.
''Various Korean communities big and small have actively advocated for the elderly survivors. We've successfully promoted this issue to some degree so I'm optimistic that our hard work will pay off,'' Park said.
Park said that she and a few others plan to launch a social media campaign to further promote the situation.
Not all against
While many first- and second-generation immigrant Koreans aren't shy about criticizing the latest agreement, some cringe at their efforts.
"The Korean government did what they could do. Just like all those newspaper ads defaming the Park Geun-hye government, this isn't going to help boost Korea's image in any way," said Park Young-sik, 71, who lives in Dallas.
Others who share similar views took their opinions online.
"Do these people really think they're going to make a change?" wrote one person on the popular online site Missy USA. "They call the deal humiliating, but their anti-government rallies are even more humiliating."
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