Donors sue operator of shelter for Japan's sex slavery victims in donation scandal

The House of Sharing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province / Korea Times file

A group of donors to a residential facility for surviving victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery has filed a lawsuit against the center's operator amid allegations of fund misappropriation.

Employees of the House of Sharing foundation have recently accused the organization of misusing billions of won collected for the so-called former “comfort women.” Five women currently live in the shelter in Gwangju, southeast of Seoul, affiliated with the nation's largest Buddhist sect, the Jogye Order.

"There are suspicions that the House of Sharing intended to use billions of won in donations to build a hotel-style nursing home, not to support the elderly victims," said Kim Young-ho, who heads an internet-based association of about 130 donors

Twenty-three members of the donors' group filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday. They demand the foundation return their donations valued at 50.74 million won ($41,995).

"The fund was meant for the welfare of the women and should not be used for the purpose of increasing personal or corporate properties. The donations should be returned," Kim Ki-yun, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, told reporters at the court.

The lawyer said additional suits would follow as more members are willing to join the legal action.

The House of Sharing collected 1.8 billion won in donations in 2018 and 2.5 billion won in 2019. A recent inspection by the local government showed a total of 7.35 billion won had been deposited in 19 bank accounts it had opened.

The lawsuit comes amid a separate controversy embroiling the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance, another NGO “working” for the women, sparked by a prominent victim's allegation last month that the former head of the group misused donations and exploited the victims for her political ambition. The former leader, Yoon Mi-hyang, was named a proportional representative at the National Assembly in the April 15 general. (Yonhap)