Amid 'Donation Controversy,' Wednesday Demonstration... Concerns of Clashes with Conservative Groups' 'Counter-Protest'

On the morning of the 13th, before the Wednesday Demonstration was held, the area near the 'Statue of Peace' located in Gwancheol-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] The "Justice and Memory Foundation for the Resolution of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Issue" (Justice Foundation), which has been embroiled in accounting-related allegations, held its regular Wednesday rally as scheduled. Conservative groups that have criticized the Justice Foundation's handling of funds held counter-rallies, demanding the suspension of the gatherings.

On the morning of the 13th, before the rally began, Oh Seong-hee, Secretary General of the Justice Foundation's Human Rights Solidarity, told reporters, "The Wednesday rally has continued for nearly 30 years to address wartime sexual violence and restore human rights," adding, "Although conservative groups have demanded the suspension of the Wednesday rally since the second half of last year, the Justice Foundation will continue the rally." She further stated, "The accounting-related allegations can be resolved by submitting the details of fundraising and expenditures requested by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in accordance with the 'Act on the Collection and Use of Donations.'"

The Wednesday rally held in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Gwancheol-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, was the 1,439th. Since February this year, the Justice Foundation has had only a few activists read statements on-site and has been live-streaming the rally online to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Attending the rally were key Justice Foundation activists, including Chairperson Lee Na-young and Secretary General Han Kyung-hee.

Conservative groups such as the Anti-Japanese Statue Truth Investigation Committee and the Comfort Women Restoration Action Solidarity held counter-rallies nearby at the same time. These groups claim that "the Justice Foundation emotionally abused youth by exposing them to wartime sexual violence content through the Wednesday rallies." They filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office the day before against Yoon Mi-hyang, former chairperson of the Justice Foundation and proportional representative-elect of the Democratic Party of Korea, for these reasons. The police deployed about 300 riot police from three mobile units to prepare for any possible clashes.

The rally drew more attention as it was held amid various allegations regarding the Justice Foundation's recent handling of donations. On the 7th, survivor Lee Yong-soo (92) stated, "They never used the donations and funds for the grandmothers. I don't even know where the donations from students attending the Wednesday rallies go," expressing her intention not to participate in the rally. The Justice Foundation believes there is a misunderstanding and has attempted to contact her, but it is reported that they have not yet been able to reach her.

In response, the Justice Foundation held a press conference on the 11th, explaining, "From 2017 to 2019, excluding designated donations, 41% of the total general donation income of approximately 2.219 billion KRW was spent on victim support projects, amounting to about 911 million KRW." Regarding allegations that the Justice Foundation prevented comfort women victims from receiving 1 billion yen (approximately 11.4 billion KRW) that the Japanese government agreed to pay through the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation during the 2015 Korea-Japan agreement, they clarified, "The decision to receive funds from the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation was entirely left to the grandmothers."

In a clarification released on the 12th, they emphasized, "Some media outlets have distorted and dramatized the facts by removing context, misleading the public into believing that the Justice Foundation has serious moral issues. We regard this as oppression against the entire human rights movement."

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