Time running out for Korean 'comfort women'
By Paula Hancocks, CNN
March 7, 2012 -- Updated 0505 GMT (1305 HKT)
Seoul (CNN) -- Waiting more than 60 years for an official apology has taken its toll on Kim Bok-dong.
The 87-year old says she is tired and her health is failing but she continues to fight for recognition from the Japanese government for being used as a sex slave by their military during World War II.
There were believed to be around 200,000 so-called "comfort women," mostly Korean. Many have since passed away, but those still alive want individual compensation for their treatment.
"When I started, the Japanese military would often beat me because I wasn't submissive," Kim says.
'Comfort women' mark 1,000th rally
"Every Sunday, soldiers came to the brothel from 8am until 5pm, on Saturday from noon until 5pm, plus weekdays. It was very hard to handle. I couldn't stand at the end of the weekend. Since I had to deal with too many soldiers, I was physically broken."
Kim has tears in her eyes as she talks of her ordeal -- an ordeal that lasted every single day for eight years.
Kim describes being moved around half a dozen Asian countries from the age of 14. "I was born as a woman but have never had a woman's life. I was dragged to the foreign army's battles, and my entire life was ruined."
Remembering China's 'comfort women'
Kim's first marriage broke down when she couldn't have children, which she assumes due to her mistreatment. When her second husband and her mother died, she had to work in the fields to earn a living.
Kim is part of an NGO called the "Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan," which is fighting for an apology.
A weekly protest has been held outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul for the past 20 years. The embassy keeps its blinds shut during the protests and does not comment.
Some Japanese prime ministers have personally apologized in the past, but the NGO director believes that it's not nearly enough.
Since I had to deal with too many soldiers, I was physically broken
Kim Bok-dong
"Anyone can verbally apologize. But this is not an issue that can be resolved by saying sorry," says Yoon Mee-Hyang. "This is a crime that was institutionalized by a country, they forced women into sexual slavery over a long period of time. They need to adopt a resolution at the official level and we need to see legal reparations."
Yoon is planning to travel to Japan to meet with government officials. Tokyo maintains its legal liability for the wrongdoing was cleared by a bilateral claims treaty signed in 1965 between the two countries.
The South Korean government has stepped up diplomatic pressure recently, but only after a Korean court ruled in August that it was unconstitutional for the government not to help. Attempts by President Lee Myung-bak to discuss the issue with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda have so far yielded no results.
The issue of comfort women continues to haunt relations between the two countries. But for the few comfort women still alive -- only 63 are now registered in South Korea -- it's an urgent issue that they can't afford to wait for.
Xianggangren
Canadian Lower House resolution
Canada's lower house, the House of Commons, unanimously approved a draft motion on November 28, 2007 that urges the Japanese government to make a "formal and sincere apology" to women who were forced by the Japanese military to provide sex for soldiers during World War II.
The text of the motion said the Canadian government should call on the Japanese government "to take full responsibility for the involvement of the Japanese Imperial Forces in the system of forced prostitution, including through a formal and sincere apology expressed in the Diet to all of those who were victims; and to continue to address with those affected in a spirit of reconciliation."
It also said, "Some Japanese public officials have recently expressed a regrettable desire to dilute or rescind the 1993 statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono on the 'comfort women,' which expressed the...
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3 months ago 7 Likes
Xianggangren
Dutch Parliament resolution
The lower house of the Dutch parliament passed a motion unanimously on November 20, 2007 urging Japan to financially compensate the women forced into sex slavery during World War II.
"This should send a strong and clear signal to the Japanese government and the Japanese people, that so many years after World War II, people in the Netherlands still want the Japanese to recognize the war crimes of the past and to recognize the victims," said van Baalen, who tabled the motion. "It is a matter still taken seriously in the Netherlands," he said.
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3 months ago 2 Likes
DionKraft
READ the treaty between Korea and japan 1965.
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3 months ago in reply to Xianggangren 4 Likes
theythey2012
Can not face up to history , the courage to admit mistakes, how can educate the next generation,After a bigger mistake would be difficult to avoid.
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3 months ago 4 Likes
theythey2012
Japanese officials did not dare official position of World War II militarism crime , vague attitude , is a very dangerous attitude,Personal apology represents the individual's attitude, Once the offense is the government decision-making , not by individuals on behalf
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3 months ago 1 Like
theythey2012
Shameful crimes committed by the Japanese militarism during World War II,They should be the official seriously apologize, Not hope that the Japanese official the same as German official kneel before the Israeli Holocaust memorial.They can not be a correct understanding of history,Lack the courage to take the wrong.Japan and Germany during World War II Allies, also committed a great crime ,Why Germany is the courage to admit mistakes, face up to history.Japan has been too afraid to face the former militarism crime.Compare Germany and JapantToday, the attitude of the face of World War II crimes
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3 months ago 3 Likes
theythey2012
ShadowSnw here strongly excuse for the Japanese because of his shameful.Perhaps he is the Japanese.
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3 months ago 2 Likes
DavidinTampa
This is what our state department has never understood. When on Nation steals 200,000 women for any purpose let alone this purpose the issue is never going to go away. We would not let that go. SK is letting it go to move ahead.
NK is willing to blow up everybody to get at Japan. A while back Kim Jong ill gave a speech on an anniversary of something or other. But the point is, Kim opened his speech with these remarks.
"GOOD MORNING TO OUR PATRIOTIC ARMY AND ALL WHO STAND AGAINST THE JAPANESE" That is a serious statement to be ignoring by everybody.........
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3 months ago 1 Like
DionKraft
NK is nothing but a paper tiger. They know that unless suicide is their answer they LOVE to saber rattle countries they hate. There going to WHAT? Shoot missles at JAPAN? You know that the USA and Japan have a mutual pack which insures the support of the USA in such an event. THATS why the Japanese let the USA have bases there!! DUH! In the event of an attack NK is going to look like a parking lot very quickly cause that would just be the excuse to do just that. China going to chime in? China has all to lose and nothing to gain. If anything China will reign in NK's saber rattling because China does not want any trouble. China wants to keep NK barely alive too use as a buffer for only China advantage. Nothing else.
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3 months ago in reply to DavidinTampa 3 Likes
mangojay
It's weird to read posts here claiming that comfort women were just prostitutes. I wonder how the individuals writing these comments (from whichever country) would feel if their homes were invaded, any resistance crushed and their mothers and daughters taken away to be used and abused?
Yes, Japan is a completely different place post-war and this generation is not to blame for those atrocities, but they did happen (there is absolute proof) and denying these dark facts is akin to lying. Even if no financial compensation is forthcoming Japan should formally acknowledge these and other war-crimes and the sooner the better.
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3 months ago 16 Likes
DionKraft
Theres nothing "weird" about this - Its WAR and the invading army takes free rein of whatever it wants to gain in materials or human slaves. No different than the Romans took over whole villages and took their men for labor camps. No different than the Mongolian Genghis Khan taking over the Koreans enslaving then to invade Japan.
basically WAR is hell and the conquer makes the rules as they go. It was only later upon the Geneva Convention (and others) enemies signed on to agree upon rules which would govern both adversaries in engagement.
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3 months ago in reply to mangojay
fritziace
Japan should apologize
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3 months ago 9 Likes
crimsonbama
No they didn't. Apologize from SOME of the leaders is not a true apology. Also, apology with back handed comment is not a sincere apology. None of their apologies are sincere ones. Just lip service. It always we regret the loss of lives as they were casualties of war or the loss of lives and rapes did happen but the numbers were that high. I mean, what the hell is that? As Wayne Brady say, do I have to slap a female dog?
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3 months ago in reply to fritziace 2 Likes
ShadowSnw
They did, many times.
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3 months ago in reply to fritziace 1 Like
eastix
In fact, Japan has NEVER offered any government official apology that is formally and officially approved by Japanese Parliament as a "Truly Legal National Apology" using the more sincere Japanese word "shazai", NOT the much less sincere Japanese word "owabi" for its unspeakable horrific War Crimes.
Japanese former PM Murayama had tried very hard for the official apology, but failed miserably to achieve it in the "No War Resolution" for the 50th anniversary of U.N. and End the War in 1995. That was exactly why Murayama could only offer his Personal Apology in 1995 and repeatedly used the words "I", "me", and "my".
Furthermore, Murayama only used the much less sincere Japanese word "Owabi", NOT "shazai" in his personal apology. Professor Yoshimi Yoshiaki of Modern Japanese History at Chuo University in Tokyo, explained that "Owabi" is only "slightly more weighty than an 'excuse me' offered when one...
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3 months ago 4 Likes
DionKraft
If you read the Treaty between Japan and Korea you will fully WAKARIMASHITA
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3 months ago in reply to eastix
splingame
From more than 200,000 to 67 left today, the Japanese are sneakily waiting those comfort women to pass away, so no victims will be left to condemn the Japanese wrongdoing. Time is running out, NGO and Korean government must be more aggressive on this issue to pressure Japanese government to officially compensate those who suffered.
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3 months ago 9 Likes
rwhitefangs
The japanese are too haughty to apologize. They denied the Nanjing massacre just a few weeks ago (300000 died). They even wipe this off their history books and whitewash their children's uinderstanding of WWII
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3 months ago 8 Likes
sannyred123
the population of Nanking in 1937 was 200000-250000 according to John Rabe and German embassy. how could Japanese army kill 300000, and where did ROC army go? they just run away during what is called "massacre" ?
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3 months ago in reply to rwhitefangs
ShadowSnw
They apologized numerous times. It's Chinese art of being a liar to say otherwise.
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3 months ago in reply to rwhitefangs 1 Like
larry051967
Why would Japan apologize when they see nothing wrong with what they did? In the Japanese view of life these women should feel blessed that Japanese men took pity on them and elevated their existence by raping them and otherwise bestowing on them their presence. Any human that is not Japanese is nothing less than a second rate animal with no rights or feelings in the Japanese view of life.
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3 months ago 9 Likes
Quesera
what??
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3 months ago in reply to larry051967 2 Likes
oldeye
Two thing the Japanese government must do while some of the ex-soldiers
who have known this and understood of what they were doing still alive. If they do not,
the pain and hurt felt by the abused women and the people of Korea will
never be able to forgive the Japanese as a people.
First, the Japanese government must account for the women who are claiming
for compensation and pay them accordingly(one at a time).
Second, the Japanese government must acknowledge this grievous human
tragedy and issue an official apology in a form of national shrine.
This must be done with utmost sincerity and circumspect. As much as we are all
of the same species, we must never forget that each and everyone of us have to
uphold the undeniable rights to our personal freedom and self preservation and to
treat others as they would to me.
...
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3 months ago 18 Likes
FrostyWheele
Japan is notorious for never apologizing for their wrongdoings. This ranges from the rape of Nanking to this. It causes other countries to look down on them.
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3 months ago 18 Likes
dovwlluc
In Nanjing, the Korean pretends to be a Japanese even in now that is the Korean who pretended to be the Japanese soldier who ran away to forgery of China or Japan, and evildoing works
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3 months ago in reply to FrostyWheele 1 Like
joedaddy8
That was a way different Japan than what it is now, however, they should make amends to prove that it is a different nation of human beings. Compensate, compromise, whatever it would need to do to give back the respect it took as a country at war.
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3 months ago 8 Likes
WingCheng
there were also many Taiwanese women encounter such mistreat!
Yoshihiko Noda must show his apology to Taiwan as well!
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3 months ago 11 Likes
mr774
I felt pity to those women.
Btw here are questions.
1, Who run brothels in those days?
Did Japanese army run brothels?
2, Who was the real perpetrator to recruit those girls in those days as `comfort women`?
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3 months ago 2 Likes
DionKraft
The deal was that the Army recruited local "Madams" to run the show and keep the women hostage. If any women got out of line that woman and the "Madam" would be punished.
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3 months ago in reply to mr774 1 Like
jes77
It is not only Korea, but also the Philippines, Burma, China, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. The Japanese government needs to come true on the issue now!
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3 months ago 14 Likes
r5t6y7
Japan should apologise for the many many horrible things it did during WW2
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3 months ago 13 Likes
fromasia
No wonder the Japanese dare not / never ask for an apology from the American over Nagasaki and Hiroshima.....because they dare not give one themselves to Korean that they have wronged so much !
An apology....not some " regret ", "remorse", "feel sorry that it happened" kind of BS.
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3 months ago 17 Likes
sorethroat
they did ask every year. it wasn't the goverment level that ask for apology, but the local in hiroshima. kinda shameless to in a way!
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3 months ago in reply to fromasia 4 Likes
sannyred123
"Kim describes being moved around half a dozen Asian countries from the age of 14." ??it was 1939 when she was 14, Japan fought China and border dispute with Soviet. how Japan moved many prostitutes over half a dozen Asian countries, she didn't even occupy south east Asia at that time.
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3 months ago
gcord374
i'd gladly smash your face in.
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3 months ago in reply to sannyred123 1 Like
Jimmo
The sentence is pretty clear. Based on the preposition "from", the clause "from the age of 14" clearing means "starting at" or "starting from" the time when she wsa 14 years of age. It by no means implies it happened *only* when she was 14. Please feel free to ask if you have any problems understanding the English *before* you post. That way you avoid making absurd claims based on your misunderstanding.
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3 months ago in reply to sannyred123 20 Likes
Rayjapan
If Japan says their legal liability was cleared in 1965 by a treaty, then it would be nice if CNN mentioned more about the contents of the treaty instead of a single sentence. Of course, no treaty makes what these women suffered to be "forgiven", but if the South Korean government signed away any chance of having a case, then the victims should be equally angry with their government.
CNN's good with invoking our emotions; not as good with digging up facts for us, such as the exact wording of the treaty.
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3 months ago 11 Likes
yankeeshogun
Collapse
I have to agree with you Rayjapan. And CNN's Japan correspondent is yet worse in stirring emotions while providing no relevant facts. It's a shame that CNN refuses to hire journalists to cover East Asia.
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3 months ago in reply to Rayjapan 7 Likes F
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