South Korean women forced into wartime sexual slavery held their 1,000th weekly protest outside Japan’s embassy yesterday, demanding compensation and an apology from Tokyo as they have since 1992.
“Apologize!” shouted five women in their 80s or 90s and an estimated 500 supporters, waving banners reading “Compensate” and “Admit the war crime.”
Demonstrators campaigning to publicize World War II crimes braved near-freezing temperatures to unveil a “peace monument” across the street from the mission, despite protests from the Japanese government over the statue.
Photo: AFP
The five former sex slaves known euphemistically as “comfort women” hugged the replica of a teenage Korean girl in traditional costume.
“Young girls were dragged to other countries as slaves of the Japanese military,” said a frail Kim Bok-dong, 85. “I demand that the ambassador of Japan tell the Japanese government to apologize before we all die.”
The oldest of the Korean former “comfort women” died earlier this month aged 94 and another aged 87 died on Tuesday, leaving just 63 survivors out of 234 who had registered with the Seoul government.
In a rare move, a North Korean association for former comfort women sent a letter of support.
“The Wednesday demonstration that has lasted for 20 years is an unbearable blaze of anger against sexual slavery crimes committed by Japan that have trampled on national pride,” the group said in a faxed message.
Historians say that during World War II, about 200,000 women from Taiwan, Korea, China, the Philippines and other countries were drafted to work in Japanese military brothels.
The issue came to widespread notice in the early 1990s after some victims found the courage to go public.
Japan has apologized for the military’s crimes against the women, but denies official responsibility for running the brothels. It has rejected South Korea’s proposal of bilateral talks about the women’s demands.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday it was inexcusable that the issue was still not settled.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
‘DISCRIMINATION’: The US Office of Personnel Management ordered that public DEI-focused Web pages be taken down, while training and contracts were canceled US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and called to restore “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by former US president Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It is using one of the
RSS