S. Korea marks first ‘comfort women’ day

SEOUL: South Korea’s government plans to unveil a new monument as part of the first official day marking Japan’s wartime use of “comfort women”, a euphemism for girls and women forced to work in Japan’s brothels.

The ceremonies marking the first “Memorial Day for Japanese Fo r c e s ’ C o m f o r t Wo m e n V i ctims” threaten to exacerbate a sensitive diplomatic issue with Japan, South Korea’s neighbour and a key ally of the United States in efforts to contain North Korea.

Japan has said the issue was resolved by a 2015 deal, struck by a previous South Korean administration, under which Japan apologised to the victims and provided one billion yen (RM36.9 million) to a fund to support them.

But South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration has spotlighted the emotionallycharged issue and has called for Japan to do more, despite backing down in January from formally renegotiating the deal.

In March, Moon described Japan’s wartime use of comfort women as “crimes against humanity”, with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga calling Moon’s remarks “extremely regrettable”.

Tokyo has protested over other monuments in South Korea dedicated to comfort women, including one in front of the Japanese embassy here, as well as the move late last year to establish a day to remember comfort women.

A think-tank funded by the South Korean government devoted to researching the issue also opened this month.

The comfort women issue has been a regular cause for contention between Japan and neighbours China and North and South Korea since the war.

Yesterday, over 50 activists joined a sit-in protest in front of Japan’s de facto embassy in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, asking a formal apology and demanding monetary compensation for Taiwanese who were forced to work in its wartime brothels.