By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

A memorial hall for comfort women, who were forced to serve for the Japanese army as a sexual slaves during World War II, will be built in the Independence Hall in Cheonan, North Chungcheong Province.

Chang Ha-jin, minister of gender equality and family, said Thursday, "The basic outline of the construction was made. It is expected to cost around 10 billion won."

The minister said the construction will take about two years, and the hall will be used for education as well as for exhibitions. It is currently running an online history hall that exhibits records of the comfort women.

The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, however, said it will not join in the project. The civic organization has long worked for the comfort women's rights and has been working towards constructing a museum under the same theme since 2003.

Seoul city government has donated 100 pyong (330 square meters) of land next to Seodaemun Prison in downtown Seoul to the council, and many citizens raised 450 million won to build a three-story building.

However, the ministry rejected the council's call for financial aid saying the land is too small to build such important building. It instead pushed for construction in Cheonan.

Kim Dong-hee, director of the council, said the major reason for the separation was the difference between two fundamental concepts. The ministry wanted to include female descendents of freedom fighters so as to include it in the independence hall, but the council wanted to limit the theme to sexual slavery in wartime.

``We are trying to show how disastrous it was for the women abused as sexual slaves in the era. In the museum there will be some visual and audio facilities to deliver the testimonies of victims,'' she said. The government's idea is good, but it may bring down the cohesiveness, she said.

Kim said that the organization is still thankful to the government for showing interest in the issue. She said the civic group will provide the hall with relevant information if needed.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr