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'I can't die without getting apology'
Kim Bok-dong, a victim of Japan’s sexual slavery before and during World War II, wearing a yellow vest, participates in a rally outside the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. / Yonhap
By Kim Se-jeong
Japan sex slavery victim holds rally in Washington, D.C.
By Kim Se-jeong
Kim Bok-dong, one of the Korean survivors of sexual slavery during World War II, demanded an apology from Japan on Wednesday at a rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“I can’t die without receiving an apology from the Japanese government,” Kim, 89, said. “Japan should not just sit idle after having deceived young women to serve as slaves.” She was joined by Korean activists and supporters.
Kim was the first “comfort woman” to protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in the U.S. capital. The rally was organized by the Washington Coalition for Comfort Women Issues, an NGO.
In Korea, victims began a rally in January 1992 that takes place every Wednesday outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. Activists in the U.S. said they will hold rallies in other U.S. cities where Japan has consular offices.
The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, a Seoul-based NGO that supports Kim, submitted a letter addressed to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Japanese Embassy.
The victim criticized Abe for not facing up to history. Abe claimed women like Kim were victims of sexual trafficking, not victims of sexual slavery orchestrated by the Japanese military. Almost 200,000 are estimated to have been conscripted to provide sexual pleasure to Japanese troops across Asia. Korea has 49 surviving victims and the number is decreasing quickly as they are in their 80s and 90s.
Kim’s visit to the U.S. comes as Korea and Japan are having talks on the comfort women issue.
Speaking with The Washington Post in June, President Park Geun-hye said negotiations on the issue were in the final stage. Officials from both countries met eight times just to discuss the issue. Reports have also surfaced that Abe will deal with the sexual slavery issue during his statement next month when Japan observes the 70th anniversary of the Japanese empire’s surrender that ended World War II.
In late June, the chief of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, also met the survivors during a visit to Korea.
However, many challenges are ahead. Critics say Abe has no interest in apologizing to the Korean victims and compensating them. A Japanese news outlet recently quoted Abe as saying Japan has the capacity to compensate them but it would not do so because this would open the doors for countless Chinese victims to come forward.