Bok-dong Kim left her home in Korea during World War II when she was just 14. Japanese forces ordered the girl to leave her village and work in a factory to help the war effort. But instead she was taken to a military camp, where she became one of thousands of “comfort women” forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army.
Now, at 90 years old, Ms. Kim is on a mission to get reparations and a formal apology from the Japanese government for all she and other comfort women endured.
“When they make the legal reparations and official apology, that will recover our honor. That’s the reason why I’m fighting,” Ms. Kim said.
Ms. Kim shared her story Tuesday at an event sponsored by the George Washington University’s Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific Program of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies. She recounted her emotional journey as a comfort woman in a discussion alongside representative of the Korean Council Mee-hyang Yoon, an advocate who has spent years seeking justice for victims of sexual slavery.
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Mike M. Mochizuki, co-director of the Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific Program, moderated the conversation.
Ms. Kim has traveled throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S. to testify on behalf of the estimated 200,000 women who were held in military brothels against their will. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his government has apologized for the crimes, but Ms. Kim and members of an NGO called the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan say the words are not enough. Since 1992, they have gathered in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul in what’s known as the Wednesday demonstrations, urging the Japanese government to acknowledge its war crimes, apologize, make legal reparations and build a memorial for victims.
“We’ve been calling on Japan, but they haven’t even budged,” Ms. Kim said.
She and Ms. Yoon have also poured their energy into the Butterfly Network, a nonprofit that helps victims of sexual violence throughout the world. The fund has awarded money to women in Congo, Uganda and Vietnam.
“The power of the Butterfly Fund is that it changes wartime violence and turns it into peace,” Ms. Yoon said.
Still, Ms. Yoon continued, while their efforts are helping women throughout the world, now is a particularly critical time to achieve justice for comfort women. Less than 50 comfort women are still alive today.
Ms. Kim’s parting message was simple: “I want the resolution of the issue to be realized before I die.”