President Lee pledges full responsibility for restoring honor of wartime sexual slavery victims

President Lee Jae-myung vowed to "take responsibility until the end to restore the honor and dignity of the victims" of Japanese wartime sexual slavery. His remarks were delivered during the "Day of Remembrance for Victims of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery" ceremony held at the Baegbeom Kim Gu Memorial Hall in Seoul.

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I could not speak about what I experienced because of the way society viewed victims and the fear of being re-victimized. However, my situation was so unfair that I wanted to tell it somewhere. On August 14, 1991, I stepped forward, no longer able to remain silent.

The ceremony began with a dramatic reading of testimonies from survivors, including the late Kim Hak-soon, whose first public testimony on August 14, 1991, led to the designation of this national memorial day. The event, organized by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, highlighted the experiences of survivors like Lee Ok-seon, Hwang Geum-ju, Gil Won-ok, Kim Hak-soon, Kim Bok-dong, and Lee Yong-soo.

President Lee's commemorative address, read by Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, acknowledged the dwindling number of surviving victims, now only five. He condemned "anti-human rights acts that deny history or defame the victims' honor" that continue to occur. Lee reaffirmed the government's commitment, stating, "The government amended the Law on Support for Victims of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery in June, establishing a legal basis to strictly respond to defamation and the spread of false information against victims. We will take responsibility until the end to ensure that the honor and dignity of each victim are fully restored."

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Now there are only five surviving victims. However, anti-human rights acts that deny history or defame the victims' honor continue to occur.

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-kyoung noted the removal of barricades around the "Statue of Peace" in Seoul and the decrease in counter-protests that previously sought to defame victims and distort history. She mentioned the arrest of a leader of a far-right group for instigating counter-protests and the implementation of the revised law in June, which imposes criminal penalties for spreading false information about the victims' experiences.

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We will take responsibility until the end to ensure that the honor and dignity of each victim are fully restored.

The ministry also announced plans to establish a "Foundation for Women's Rights and Peace." This initiative, a presidential campaign promise and state agenda item, aims to systematically preserve historical records and research findings, promote education for future generations, and foster international cooperation. The goal is to ensure that the historical truth of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue and the values of women's rights and peace are passed on to future generations without wavering.

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The barricades that had surrounded the Statue of Peace for a long time have finally disappeared. Counter-protests that defamed victims and distorted history are also no longer easily found.