By Choi Sung-jin
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said the city will work to put data related with the "comfort women" on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, "if the central government will not."
"The central government has allocated some spending for the project in this year's budget but said it would not tackle the job," the Seoul mayor said appearing on an SNS broadcast Thursday. "I think we must register the comfort women-related records and materials with the Memory of the World program. If the central government shies away from this, the city government will take it up."
Park, while noting that the project does not need a lot of money, said, "It is the central government's job. But if it refuses to carry it out, someone else has to do it."
The mayor from the opposition Minjoo Party of Korea said the municipal government has managed records related with the former sex slaves of the Japanese imperial army, including the victims' recorded remarks, films and historical material. "We will push for putting them on the UNESCO register," he said.
Mayor Park said European countries are preserving the sites of World War II, and the city is also creating the "Site of Memory" at Namsan, at a former residence of the Japanese governor-generals, to remember and memorialize former comfort women forced to serve Japanese soldiers at military brothels before and during the Second World War.
"I am certain the planned site will help regain the honor of the victims and teach the historical truths to future generations," he said, adding that the city and civic groups have established a committee to promote the construction of the memorial site.
Park's proposal came when a majority of about 40 former comfort women still alive were opposing the government's agreement with Japan on the sex slavery issue reached last December, maintaining that the accord did not reflect their demands and was made without first consulting with the victims.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said the city will work to put data related with the "comfort women" on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, "if the central government will not."
"The central government has allocated some spending for the project in this year's budget but said it would not tackle the job," the Seoul mayor said appearing on an SNS broadcast Thursday. "I think we must register the comfort women-related records and materials with the Memory of the World program. If the central government shies away from this, the city government will take it up."
Park, while noting that the project does not need a lot of money, said, "It is the central government's job. But if it refuses to carry it out, someone else has to do it."
The mayor from the opposition Minjoo Party of Korea said the municipal government has managed records related with the former sex slaves of the Japanese imperial army, including the victims' recorded remarks, films and historical material. "We will push for putting them on the UNESCO register," he said.
Mayor Park said European countries are preserving the sites of World War II, and the city is also creating the "Site of Memory" at Namsan, at a former residence of the Japanese governor-generals, to remember and memorialize former comfort women forced to serve Japanese soldiers at military brothels before and during the Second World War.
"I am certain the planned site will help regain the honor of the victims and teach the historical truths to future generations," he said, adding that the city and civic groups have established a committee to promote the construction of the memorial site.
Park's proposal came when a majority of about 40 former comfort women still alive were opposing the government's agreement with Japan on the sex slavery issue reached last December, maintaining that the accord did not reflect their demands and was made without first consulting with the victims.
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