'Anseong Shelter' Where Comfort Women Victims Did Not Stay... Controversy Over Justice and Memory Foundation's Shelter Establishment Process

The door of "The House Where Peace and Healing Meet" in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, which was operated as a shelter for victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery by the Solidarity for Justice and Memory using designated donations, was firmly closed on the 17th. The building sale contract was signed on the 23rd of last month, and the return process is currently underway.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] On the 17th, controversy arose over the purchase and management process by the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeokdae) regarding the "House Where Peace and Healing Meet," a shelter established for victims of Japanese military sexual slavery. Along with recent accounting issues, criticism has intensified as it was revealed that the father of former director Yoon Mi-hyang (currently a member-elect of the Democratic Party of Korea) was designated as the building manager and received wages and other payments.

◆ Purchase of a building in Anseong, two hours from Seoul ＝ The predecessor of Jeonguiyeokdae, the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdaehyeop), used 1 billion KRW donated by Hyundai Heavy Industries through the Community Chest of Korea in 2012 to purchase the "House Where Peace and Healing Meet (Healing Center)" located in Geumgwang-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi Province in 2013. Initially, Jeongdaehyeop planned to build a shelter in Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, but changed direction to purchase an existing building in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province.

Jeonguiyeokdae explained that around April 2013, through an emergency executive board meeting of Jeongdaehyeop, they established criteria including ▲ a newly permitted building outside Seoul that did not require repairs ▲ a site of 300 pyeong and a building of over 400 pyeong ▲ accommodation space for about 20 members of the organization, and conducted site inspections. Subsequently, 17 locations including Ganghwa Island, Yongin, and Anseong were shortlisted, and the building in Geumgwang-myeon, Anseong-si was finally selected.

Jeonguiyeokdae stated, "We looked for houses near the War and Women's Human Rights Museum in Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul to purchase the building, but it was not possible within the 1 billion KRW budget. The site in Geumgwang-myeon, Anseong-si was a nature-friendly space surrounded by mountains, yet accessible within a 5-minute walk from a bus stop."

However, the Healing Center prepared through this process was not used as a residence for the comfort women victims. It was revealed that Jeonguiyeokdae staff workshops were held at the Healing Center, leading to criticism that the facility was used for purposes other than housing the victims.

In response, Jeonguiyeokdae said, "The Healing Center's main purpose is the rest and healing of the grandmothers, but it also serves as a space for educating future generations and supporting activities to raise awareness of the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery and to promote human rights and peace values. It hosted meetings with grandmothers from military base villages and gatherings with Jeongdaehyeop volunteer activists."

They added, "Since the grandmothers continued activities such as participating in Wednesday demonstrations and testimony events, it was practically difficult for them to reside permanently in Anseong. Other projects were also difficult to carry out with the office staff alone, so after consultation with the Community Chest, it was decided to suspend the project. Discussions were held, and from 2016 onward, the sale was actively pursued, culminating in the signing of the sales contract only on the 23rd of last month."

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

◆ Why was the purchase price higher than surrounding properties? = Jeonguiyeokdae purchased the shelter for 750 million KRW in 2013. The shelter consisted of a site of 800㎡ (approximately 242 pyeong) and a building of 195.98㎡ (approximately 59 pyeong). According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's real transaction disclosure system, houses of similar size near Geumgwang-myeon, Anseong-si were traded between 100 million and 400 million KRW that same year. This has led to criticism that the purchase price was excessively high compared to market value.

Jeonguiyeokdae stated, "Through inspections of three final candidate sites, we reported to the board that the market price for similar buildings was around 700 million to 900 million KRW."

On the same day, former director Yoon explained in an interview with a media outlet, "Considering the intended use, I did not think the price was expensive." She added, "Initially, we planned to establish the Healing Center near the War and Women's Human Rights Museum in Mapo, Seoul, but it was difficult to purchase a suitable place in Seoul with the 1 billion KRW donated by Hyundai Heavy Industries."

She further explained, "At that time, through the introduction of Lee Gyu-min, representative of Anseong Newspaper (currently a Democratic Party member-elect), I met Mr. Kim and purchased the house. Mr. Kim explained that the house was built with good materials and that construction costs were high, and upon checking the materials, it was true."

◆ Controversy over designation of former director Yoon Mi-hyang's father as building manager = According to Jeonguiyeokdae, Yoon's father was responsible for security and management of the Healing Center. From January 2014 to June 2018, he received 1.2 million KRW per month for management and labor costs, and from July 2018 to April 2020, he received 500,000 KRW per month for management fees. The total amount paid over six years was 75.8 million KRW.

Jeonguiyeokdae explained, "Since no one resided permanently at the Healing Center, there were concerns about neglect in management. For daily building management, we requested the father of former director Yoon, who had experience managing a church parsonage, to manage the building." They added, "Yoon's father had to quit his job at a food factory and commuted between a small container space set up in the backyard of the Healing Center and his home in Suwon. He was responsible for day and night security, building management, cleaning, facility repairs, and garden maintenance."

Jeonguiyeokdae apologized, stating, "We believe it was inconsiderate to designate a relative of a related party as the manager of the Healing Center, and we apologize for this."

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