Activist publishes book on former sex slave victims

By Kim Se-jeong

Yoon Mee-hyang, head of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, an NGO spearheading advocacy for the victims, has published a book on the plight of the former sex slaves and the advocacy work by her and other activists.

Four thousand copies of “25 Years of Wednesdays ― A Story of the Bold Hope of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Survivors” will be available in bookstores starting Thursday. Sai Planet is the publisher.

“It is a collection of the victims’ testimonies and essays about our organization’s work and its international alliance,” Yoon said. “I hope this book will help the issue get solved and will bring peace to the survivors and to us.”

The book celebrates the 25th anniversary of the famous Wednesday rallies in front of the Japanese Embassy. It is an update on “20 Years of Wednesdays” which was published five years ago by Yoon.

The book is also expected to raise awareness about the issue after the Korea-Japan agreement drew criticism from many citizens and activists as well as from the victims.

On Dec. 28, Korea Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida agreed on the deal about the comfort women, stipulating that Japan would provide $8.3 million to take care of the 46 Korean surviving victims of sexual slavery at the hands of the Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. With the signing of the agreement, the two sides proclaimed that the issue is resolved “finally and irreversibly.”

The controversy surrounding the agreement drew many university students who participated in sit-ins in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. Many signed the petition for the nullification of the agreement, and a group of lawyers stated that the agreement falls short of what constitutes a legal international agreement. Non-government organizations in Korea united to establish a foundation to care for the victims and to educate the public about the issue.

It is estimated that almost 200,000 women were forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers.

The book costs 15,000 won.