'30-Year Comfort Women Movement' Reaches New Turning Point

Controversy Over Mismanagement of Sponsorship Funds Puts Justice Foundation at a Crossroads
"Still, the Wednesday Demonstrations Must Continue"

Finding the Right Balance Between Victims' Livelihood and Welfare Focus and the Broader Social Movement Framework

On the 13th, amid ongoing controversies regarding the accounting of donations to the Justice Memory Solidarity, the 1439th regular Wednesday demonstration for the resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue is being held via online live streaming to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) on Pyeonghwa-ro in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Donghoon Jeong, Jeongyun Lee] "I will spend the rest of my life, however little, walking the path of building values such as human rights and peace, reconciliation and forgiveness, solidarity and harmony."

This is the pledge made by comfort women victim grandmother Lee Yong-soo (92) in a statement posted on her Facebook on the 13th. As the ripple effect spread after she voluntarily held a press conference on the 7th and sharply criticized the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeokyeondae), which aims to resolve the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery, it can also be read as a request to reconsider the essence of the matter. The grandmother said, "There must be empathy that such acts should never happen again, and the achievements of the comfort women movement that led to participation and action should not be disparaged or wasted in futile debates." At the same time, she expressed her intention to raise awareness about the public opinion that has become excessively biased toward 'accounting irregularities and donation fraud.' This is conveyed through three demands: 'Korea-Japan student exchange,' 'overcoming errors in Jeonguiyeokyeondae’s business methods,' and 'disclosure of the 2015 Korea-Japan agreement process.' There is growing anticipation that related discussions will resume, signaling a turning point in the comfort women movement, which is now in its 30th year since the formation of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdaehyeop).

According to female activists on the 14th, this controversy largely stems from differing perspectives between activists and the grandmother regarding the nature of the organization. While Jeonguiyeokyeondae focuses on uncovering the truth, raising issues about wartime sexual violence, and diplomatic resolution, the critical stance including grandmother Lee and others argues that priority should be given to using funds for the victim grandmothers.

This difference in perception is also analyzed to have been influenced by a social atmosphere that regards the Japanese military comfort women issue as a problem only for the victims themselves. Cultural critic Lee Ji-eun recently wrote in a media contribution, "Many people seemed to believe that Jeonguiyeokyeondae is an organization that 'respects' or 'represents' the grandmother’s will, and thought that was the 'right' relationship," adding, "Because the 'party concerned' is limited to the surviving victim grandmothers, people tend to think that the grandmother’s will is the direction of the movement."

Kim Young-soon, executive director of the Korean Women’s Associations United, stated, "Jeonguiyeokyeondae’s activities are a human rights movement that demands truth and apology for the Japanese military sexual slavery system," and added, "Support for victims should be the responsibility of the government and Japan." She emphasized the need to move beyond a victim-centered perception and approach the comfort women social movement from the perspective of a women’s human rights movement responding to gender-based violence.

On the 13th, amid ongoing controversies regarding the accounting of donations to the Justice and Memory Solidarity, Inayeong, the chairperson of Justice and Memory Solidarity, is seen removing her mask at the 1439th regular Wednesday demonstration for the resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue, held on Pyeonghwa-ro in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

However, the current social controversy started with the question, "Why aren’t donations used for the grandmothers?" and is spreading toward concerns that Jeonguiyeokyeondae might be recklessly spending money due to poor accounting. This has also led to criticism regarding how much Jeonguiyeokyeondae has paid attention to 'social consensus and communication' to find a balance between victim-centeredness and business orientation.

Nevertheless, despite conflicting opinions, the idea that the 'Wednesday Demonstrations,' a symbol of the comfort women social movement, must continue appears dominant among civic groups. The Korean Women’s Associations United recently stated in a press release, "The Japanese military comfort women movement is not a movement created by Jeonguiyeokyeondae or any specific individual." The Korean Women’s Hotline also expressed strong concern about attempts to divide and damage the comfort women movement and urged the government and civil society to fulfill their respective responsibilities for a just resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. These views seem to point in the same direction as grandmother Lee’s Facebook statement.

Since there are criticisms that the government has exacerbated the controversy by continuing to neglect the comfort women issue, additional government-level measures also seem necessary. The Moon Jae-in administration criticized the Korea-Japan comfort women agreement concluded by the Park Geun-hye government in 2015 and dissolved the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, which was established based on the 100 million yen compensation from Japan, in November 2018. However, no significant progress has been made since then in resolving the comfort women issue. At the time of the 2015 Korea-Japan agreement, there were 46 surviving grandmothers; now only 18 remain.

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