Justice Network: "Comfort Women Victim Support Funds Have Been Used Transparently"

Justice Memory Solidarity, Lee Yong-soo Grandmother's Accounting Issue Clarification Press Conference
"Among 2.2 Billion KRW Donation Income in the Last 3 Years, 900 Million KRW Supported Victims"

On the morning of the 11th, Lee Na-young, the chairperson of the Justice and Memory Foundation, spoke at a press conference held by the foundation in response to Grandmother Lee Yong-soo's criticism of the organization's activities addressing the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeong-ui-yeon) announced that it spent 900 million KRW on projects supporting Japanese military comfort women victims over the past three years. This was a rebuttal to the claim made by grandmother Lee Yong-soo (92), who argued that the foundation did not use donations for the victims.

On the 11th, Jeong-ui-yeon stated at a press conference held at the Human Rights Building in Mapo-gu, Seoul, "Jeong-ui-yeon collects and supports donations for the human rights and restoration of honor of the grandmothers," adding, "From 2017 to 2019, out of 2.2 billion KRW in donation income, 41%, or 900 million KRW, was used for victim support projects."

They also added, "Even after the 2015 Korea-Japan comfort women agreement was announced, we opposed the acceptance of consolation money from the Japanese government until the end. In the second half of 2017, we conducted the 'One Million Citizens Fundraising' and delivered 100 million KRW per person as a Women's Human Rights Award to eight victims, including grandmother Lee Yong-soo, who fought against accepting the money."

The organization stated that the donations were used for victim shelters, Wednesday demonstrations, and victim lawsuit support, and that usage details are disclosed through accounting audits. Jeong-ui-yeon also revealed four receipts, including one for 1 million KRW paid as living expenses to grandmother Lee in 1992. The foundation apologized, saying, "We apologize for the unexpected surprise and unintended hurt caused to those who have supported and stood in solidarity with the Justice and Memory Foundation's movement for 30 years, hoping for the human rights and restoration of honor of Japanese military comfort women victims."

Earlier on the 7th, grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a comfort women victim, claimed, "Donations and funds were never used for the grandmothers," and "I don't even know where the donations collected by students participating in the Wednesday demonstrations are used."

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