The Protestors
The surviving “comfort women” recently held their 1,000th weekly protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. One Korean American artist shines a light on their resilience.
Story and photographs by Arin Yoon
In a year defined by protests, a year in which Time magazine named “The Protestor” person of the year, one of the world’s longest running protests marked its 1,000th week on December 14, 2011.
The protesters were “comfort women,” who as girls were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during the Second World War. Their shouts have quieted as their numbers have dwindled. Members have aged or passed away. There are only 63 registered survivors remaining of the estimated 180,000 Korean “comfort women.”
In 1992, these survivors started their protests, demanding a formal apology and reparations from the Japanese government. Twenty years and 1,000 demonstrations after their first Wednesday protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, the women’s demands are still unmet. Past attempts at resolution have been marred by qualified apologies, South Korean corruption and denial of culpability by some Japanese politicians.
The Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center, in Queens, New York, commemorated the 1,000th demonstration Dec. 13 by bringing together two Holocaust survivors, Hanne Liebmann, 87, and Ethel Katz, 88, and two “comfort women,” Ok-seon Yi, 84, and Yong-soo Lee, 83. All four shared their stories, and although they had been separated by thousands of miles, their suffering was strikingly similar. They all spoke of discrimination, physical and psychological abuse, separation from family, hunger, humiliation and uncertainty.
“If you refused to do what you were told to do, they would slash your clothes with knives and shove the knives into your private parts. And what would come out? Only blood would come out,” said Yi, as she recounted her chilling experiences.
“They [the Japanese] gave us the name ‘comfort women.’ They named the brothel the ‘comfort station.’ But they turn around and tell us, tell everyone who asks, that it never happened,” said Lee. Continue Reading »
Photo by Luke Inki Cho/KoreAm
In this new column in KoreAm, Dr. Esther Oh welcomes your questions about mental illness. Mental illness encompasses such issues as depression, psychotic disorders, eating disorders and suicide. You can email confidential questions to dr.oh@iamkoream.com. All correspondences will be accessed only by Dr. Oh and can be anonymous. Select letters will be published in an upcoming issue of KoreAm, along with Dr. Oh’s responses.
Talking About Mental Illness
A Los Angeles psychiatrist partners with KoreAm to address the longstanding stigma over mental health issues in this new column.
by Dr. Esther Oh
As with many children born to Korean immigrants, education was considered the top priority in my family. Honors and AP classes weren’t optional; they were expected. After-school music lessons, volunteer work, tutoring sessions and sports were all part of my weekly routine. I spent so many hours at the library that it practically became my second home. So when it came to choosing a career, I gravitated towards what Asians know best: medicine, law or engineering. My parents lucked out with a daughter who actually enjoyed studying science and math and had the masochistic drive to pursue medical school.
Fast forward four years. After a marathon of tough courses, grueling clinical rotations and multiple exams, it was time to choose a specialty. My parents’ initial excitement that I was about to add “Dr.” to my name quickly disappeared the moment they found out I wanted to specialize in … psychiatry.
They desperately asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to go into surgery? What about anesthesiology? Or internal medicine?” They stressed the importance of having a career that was “respected” within the Korean American community, and apparently, psychiatry didn’t fit that bill. What surprised me more than my parents’ reaction were those of the handful of cousins, aunts, uncles and even fellow classmates who also were skeptical, asking: “You want to work with crazy people all day?” “You went through medical school just to become a counselor?” “Is mental illness contagious?” Continue Reading »
Talk about supercool bragging rights. How many kids get to tell their classmates their dad is off chasing pirates on his warship?
It’s certainly one of the highlights of U.S. Navy Commander Steven Lee’s young son and daughter. In February, the 18-year veteran of the Navy took command of the USS Gonzalez, one of this nation’s armed-to-the-teeth warships. Though two other Korean Americans have commanded at sea, he is the first Korean American graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy to do so.
“It’s an amazing ship. It can do amazing things. I call it my toy,” said Lee, with a chuckle, speaking by phone while his $1.8 billion “toy” was in port at Norfolk, Va. The most recent deployment for him and his 280-member crew involved conducting counter-piracy and counter-terrorism operations in the Somali Basin and Indian Ocean.
“We can strike a target from the sea with our long-range missiles,” Lee said, noting that the ship plays a supporting role to U.S. Special Forces looking for terrorists on the ground. Continue Reading »
The Top 5 Angriest Stories of 2011
by Phil Yu
From behind my laptop screen at Angry Asian Man headquarters, I sit at a relatively unique vantage point for what’s going on in the Asian Pacific American community. Having written this blog for over 10 years, a lot of information comes my way, and I try to interpret and share it as best as I can. Sometimes it feels like progress, other times it’s like 10 steps back. And, sometimes I just feel like throwing my computer out the window.
This year had its interesting share of ups and downs. Thus, I give you my blog’s top five “angriest” stories of 2011. Not necessarily the most controversial or even the most viewed posts of the year, but five noteworthy topics that struck a nerve with the APA community and got people talking. Continue Reading »
Posted: December 16th, 2011
Filed Under: BLOG , Back Issues , December 2011 , FEATURED ARTICLE
Renowned comic book artist Jim Lee channels his dual identities as an illustrator and publisher.
by Jimmy Lee
photographs by Mark Edward Harris
New York City. October 2010.
Within the mundane conference rooms of these halls were assembled superb beings in the world of comic book creation—names like Brian Azzarello, Jeph Loeb and Grant Morrison. At the forefront of this league of extraordinary talents were Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, the two men anointed co-publishers of DC Entertainment earlier in the year. This dynamic duo had brought these figures together to combat the forces diminishing their industry: the Internet, digital piracy and slumping sales. What they would end up proposing at this conference would have universe-shattering consequences.
There is no argument that Jim Lee is one of the most revered comic book artists of the last 25 years. The hour-long lines he generates at comic book conventions are testaments to his artwork’s magnetic hold on fans, while the 2010- published tome, Icons: The DC Comics & WildStorm Art of Jim Lee, is a beautifully packaged ode to Lee’s penciling skills, all in coffee table book-sized glory. He has the distinction of illustrating the best-selling single issue of all time—X-Men No. 1, published by Marvel in 1991. Continue Reading »
FOR ONLY $28!
Featured Event
It’s the new year, and Yim Jae Beum is coming to town! After a sold-out show in Los Angeles last October, he is coming back to hold two U.S. concerts for the 2012 Lunar New Year. Everyone already knows this man can sing! He’s got an impressive resume, debuting as a rock singer back in 1986, releasing Korean classics, such as “For You,” and most recently, joining and winning first place twice on the MBC show, “I am a Singer.”
Seattle and New Jersey, get ready! We are happy to announce that we will be giving away TWO (2) pairs of tickets! read more
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