Donors want their money back from sex slavery NGO

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Tue, September 26, 2023 | 11:25

Politics

Donors want their money back from sex slavery NGO

Posted : 2020-06-04 18:45

Updated : 2020-06-04 18:45

Rally participants demand justice for former victims of sex slavery under the Japanese military in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Wednesday. Twenty-three donors filed a suit against the House of Sharing, an NGO purporting to support victims of sex slavery, Thursday, demanding their money back. Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

A group of donors filed a civil suit against the House of Sharing, a non-government organization purportedly taking care of former sex slavery victims and working to bring justice for them, Thursday, demanding the return of their money.

Twenty-three donors joined the legal action seeking the return of 48.21 million won.

"We deeply deplore the fact that people in the organization were busy pocketing the money that we donated," they said in the suit filed with the Seoul Central District Court. "We hope this won't happen again."

The group said it is preparing for another suit against the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Korean Council), another advocacy group marred by recent allegations of illegal accounting practices, embezzlement and the unethical collection and use of funds by its former director Yoon Mee-hyang.

Yoon is now a lawmaker and left the group after she was selected as a proportional representation candidate in the April 15 general election.

Among the 23 plaintiffs is a sexual assault victim who donated all of her 9 million won settlement money to the organization.

This is the latest development in the spiraling controversy triggered by sexual slavery survivor Lee Yong-soo. In a press conference in early May, Lee criticized Yoon harshly for her illegal and unethical operation of the Korean Council.

Lee's revelation gave a rise to additional allegations involving Yoon's accumulation of wealth and the operation of a shelter in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province.

Yoon denied any wrongdoings and the allegations are currently being investigated by prosecutors.

The controversy also shed light on the House of Sharing, an organization located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, which was facing allegations that it had faked a deceased former sex slave's will to keep her assets.

The House of Sharing and the Korean Council were on the front line of Korea's fight to get justice for the former sex slaves for the Japanese military before and during the Second World War. The Korean Council, in particularly, successfully waged awareness campaigns in and outside Korea.

Experts and observers expressed concerns that the recent controversy could ruin hard-won accomplishments in resolving the issue.

skim@koreatimes.co.kr