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.
Liebmann, the Holocaust survivor, noted the contrast between Japan and its Axis partner, Germany.
“Germany said, ‘Yes, this is what happened under Hitler.’…
So Japan, wake up. Do the right thing. Apologize to these people. Own up to what you did. It’s about time,” Liebmann said.
“This is not just a ‘comfort women’ issue. It is a women’s rights issue. It is a human rights issue,” said Chejin Park, who organized the New York events surrounding the 1,000th protest. The Holocaust Center also hosted a recent exhibition of “comfort women”-related art, titled “Come From the Shadows,” in conjunction with artist Steve Cavallo and the New York-based Korean American Voters’ Council. (Disclosure: The author’s art was also part of the exhibition.)
Though in her 80s, Lee continues her activism not just for herself and her peers, but on behalf of the next generation. “One of the reasons we have so much sexual violence in this world is that the crimes such as those committed by Japan have not been completely resolved,” she said. “But I am here to tell you in person what happened and what Japan did because I don’t want to see this happen again to the next generation.”
At the 1,000th protest in Seoul, a bronze statue of an unsmiling young girl, sitting dressed in a hanbok, was unveiled and now stands just across the street from the Japanese Embassy. Japanese officials said the statue was “regrettable” and asked the Korean government to remove it. Instead, the latter issued a statement suggesting the Japanese government consider why the women, now in their 80s and 90s, continue to protest. And continue they did, as they held their 1,001st protest the following week.
This article was published in the January 2012 issue of KoreAm. Subscribe today!
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There is well documented evidence for the kidnapping/slavery of Korean and other women, Dutch, Chinese, etc. for sexual slavery by the Japanese Army.
If you have pride as you are very fair and wise, you should judge after these old wemen’s petition discerns truth or a lie sincerely.
If you do that, you will find that this problem does not have an orderly proof nor original source, either, and proof still has only [testimony which changes constantly].
It being immersed in sentimentality and believing firmly has you equal to declaring oneself with it being foolish.
We, Jaoanese are telling the truth to the whole world from youtube.
We will explain the truth in the near future.
It’s devastating. For what they have done to these women, all they ask is to remove the statue. Like no, they didn’t even apologize for this. They should look back at what they have done, and should be shameful of themselves.
It’s devastating. These women weren’t even treated like humans. For years these women gathered up their strength and courage to protest and get their voices heard. It’s sad and completely inhuman that the Japanese government can’t even issue an apology or even own up to what they did.