Seoul raises wartime sex slavery issue at UN
South Korea stressed, Tuesday, that Japan’s wartime sex slavery issue must be addressed in a way that focuses on the victims, adding that Seoul will make efforts to restore their dignity.
“It is crucial that we do not forget the victims and survivors of such violence. Current and future generations should learn valuable lessons from the painful experiences of victims of wartime sex slavery,” Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jongmoon said during a virtual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“The tragedy of the comfort women must be addressed as a universal human rights issue, and the recurrence of such grave violations of human rights in conflict must be prevented.”
“Comfort women” is a translated Japanese euphemism for wartime sex slaves.
He added: “The Korean government will keep endeavoring to restore the dignity and honor of the sex slavery victims — a dwindling number of elderly women in their 90s — with a survivor-centered approach at the core.”
His remarks came as relations between Seoul and Tokyo have slumped to the worst level in years due to due to history-related issues, with wartime sex slavery taking center stage.
According to historians, more than 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were forced to provide sexual services in frontline brothels for Japanese soldiers from 1932 to the end of World War II, with dozens of the victims testifying that they were either deceived or coerced into sex slavery.
The issue is now gaining recognition again after Mark Ramseyer, a Harvard Law School professor, wrote in an article that Japan’s wartime sex slavery was voluntary prostitution in return for large advance sums with one- or two-year maximum terms.
In addition, the Seoul Central District Court ordered the Japanese government last month to make financial reparations of 100 million won ($90,000) for each of the 12 former sex slaves who brought a case against Tokyo, leading to a strong backlash from the neighboring country.
In 2015, the Park Geun-hye administration and Shinzo Abe Cabinet reached a deal to end their nations’ dispute
over Japan’s enslavement of Korean women. It included Japan’s responsibility for its wartime aggression and Abe’s apology to the victims along with its contribution of 1 billion yen to a fund to be administered by the Korean government for the victims.
However, the deal took flak for violating the principle of a victim-centered solution, not properly reflecting the opinions of the surviving women.
Currently, the Moon Jae-in administration is also in the hot seat for its negligence toward human rights problems in North Korea, raising concerns from the international community, including the United
States.
Aware of the concerns and criticism, the vice minister said the government is focused on the matter, adding that the promotion and protection of human rights has been one of its top priorities.
“We must all the more value the universality of human rights. Making no exception in this approach, our government has had profound interest in and concerns over the human rights situation in North Korea,” Choi said.
“We have been endeavoring to substantively improve the human rights of the North Korean people in cooperation with the international community.”