Lee Jae-myung "We will investigate the actual conditions of women in base villages and provide support"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, promised a Gyeonggi Province-level survey and support for women in base villages.

On the 7th, Governor Lee held a meeting with support organizations regarding the enactment of the 'Ordinance on Support for Women in Base Villages in Gyeonggi Province' at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Situation Room, stating, "After the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery, this is the second most serious issue as a collective case of women's human rights violations. I feel that there has been too little interest and very insufficient actual investigation or support for the victims of base villages until now."

He continued, "Even now, it is necessary to take responsibility for the state's complicity or encouragement and to conduct clear investigations into the scale of damage, the reality of the harm, and objective facts," adding, "We will discuss together what can be done at the provincial level to ensure that such human rights violations never happen again and consider the necessary measures."

The meeting was attended by nine people, including Choi Soon-young, Executive Director of the Gyeonggi Women's Solidarity, Woo Soon-duk, Executive Director of the Base Village Women's Human Rights Solidarity, other representatives of support organizations for women in base villages, and victims themselves.

The attendees expressed gratitude for the enactment of the related ordinance by Gyeonggi Province and called for continuous attention and practical support for women in base villages.

Choi Soon-young, Executive Director of the Gyeonggi Women's Solidarity, said, "In the 19th and 20th National Assembly, there were attempts to enact a law, but they faced difficulties and failed. I think the ordinance was enacted because Governor Lee Jae-myung showed interest. This is a good example of local autonomy. Half of Gyeonggi residents are women, and many women are still discriminated against in various blind spots, so I ask for more attention to this issue."

On that day, Director Choi presented Governor Lee with a red rose, saying it was "a symbol of love and respect."

Woo Soon-duk, Executive Director of the Base Village Women's Human Rights Solidarity, said, "It has been 18 years since I started living with grandmothers in Pyeongtaek in 2002. During that time, I have been very frustrated and heartbroken, but I am grateful that Governor Lee showed determination and pushed for the enactment of the ordinance," adding, "Even if the ordinance is enacted, there are many cases where it is not implemented, so I hope Gyeonggi Province can wipe away the tears of the grandmothers."

The attendees agreed to jointly work on publicizing and legislating higher-level laws to provide financial support for women in base villages.

Earlier, on the 29th of last month, the Gyeonggi Provincial Council enacted the first ordinance in the nation to support women in base villages.

This ordinance states that the Governor of Gyeonggi Province can provide administrative and financial support within the budget scope to stabilize the lives of women in base villages.

Specifically, it stipulates support such as housing assistance including priority supply of rental housing or rental deposit, payment of living stabilization funds, medical benefits, caregiver support, and funeral expenses.

Additionally, it provides for the establishment of the Gyeonggi Base Village Women Support Committee and a center to systematically promote the selection of support recipients and support projects.

Governor Lee promised on his social media on the 23rd of last month, "I welcome the Gyeonggi Provincial Council's ordinance on support for women in base villages. The provincial executive branch will also actively work on fact-finding, victim support, and prevention of recurrence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.