Kim Eo-jun: "Many Donors Prefer to Remain Anonymous" Yoon Mi-hyang: "That's True"

Yoon Mi-hyang "They Are Trying to Silence Our Voices of the Past 30 Years"

Yoon Mi-hyang, former director of the Justice Memory Solidarity [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Yoon Mi-hyang, elected member of the Democratic Citizens' Party and former chairperson of the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeokdae), addressed allegations of misappropriation of donations by the foundation on the 13th, stating, "(Those raising the allegations) are trying to divide the grandmothers and activists, silence the voices of the past 30 years that have worked to resolve the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery, and impose restrictions on my voice."

Appearing on a radio broadcast hosted by broadcaster Kim Eo-jun that day, Yoon referred to the accounting-related allegations as "administrative errors."

Regarding the disclosure of the donor list, when Kim Eo-jun said, "(Many donors) do not want their names to be disclosed, so we cannot release it," Yoon responded, "That is correct."

Yoon expressed strong dissatisfaction with the media reporting on the allegations against her. She said that three reporters from a broadcasting company came to her home on the 12th, adding, "My daughter is attending online classes at home because she came back to Korea due to COVID-19. So she is at home. This is very cruel. I demand that this be stopped immediately."

When Kim said, "She must be a good student," she replied, "Exactly."

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, at the 1439th regular online Wednesday demonstration for the resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue held the previous day (the 13th) in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, conservative groups also held rallies criticizing Yoon Mi-hyang.

Hong Jeong-sik, head of the civic group Halbindan, raised his voice in a statement, saying, "We are outraged by the shameless acts of Yoon Mi-hyang and her associates, who exploited the comfort women grandmothers as 'beggars' to embezzle public funds and accumulate wealth."

Joo Ok-soon, representative of the 'Mom's Army,' argued, "If the donation issues are not clearly explained, the Justice and Memory Foundation must disappear."

The Anti-Japanese National Council of Victims' Organizations also stated in a declaration distributed at the site that day, "The approximately 230,000 victims of Japanese colonial rule will actively carry out a campaign for Yoon Mi-hyang's resignation until she voluntarily steps down as a member of the National Assembly."

In response, Lee Na-young, chairperson of the Justice and Memory Foundation and professor of sociology at Chung-Ang University, who attended the Wednesday demonstration that day, rebutted, "There has never been any personal embezzlement or illegal use of funds within the Justice and Memory Foundation," adding, "To prove our transparency once again and to directly counter malicious distorted reports, we will have the donation usage verified by multiple certified public accountants."

She continued, "Through re-disclosure, we aim to put an end to unnecessary suspicions related to the use of donations by the Justice and Memory Foundation," emphasizing, "We clearly state once again that there has been no illegal use or embezzlement of donations by the Justice and Memory Foundation."

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