US Comfort Women Movement Leader: "Halmoni I Yong-su Raised Issues with Justice Network 10 Years Ago"

Grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a surviving victim of the Japanese military 'comfort women', is criticizing related organizations and arguing that the Wednesday Demonstration should be abolished at a press conference held at a tea house in Nam-gu, Daegu on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Joo-hee] It was claimed on the 22nd that Grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery, had raised issues related to the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeondae) for the past 10 years.

Kim Hyun-jung, the representative of CARE (Comfort Women Action for Redress and Education), a U.S. comfort women organization, stated on her Facebook post that "Every time Grandmother Lee Yong-soo came to the U.S., she confided in us about her concerns regarding Jeongdaehyeop and Yoon Mee-hyang, and it has been almost 10 years."

Kim said, "I will say just one thing after holding back. This grandmother is not just an old woman. She is a survivor who has testified about horrific experiences and has led testimonies and criticism despite malicious attacks from extreme right-wing groups in Japan," adding, "(Grandmother) noticed that the comfort women movement was becoming partisan and organizationally selfish, and she refused to belong to Jeongdaehyeop or Nanum-ui Jip, instead carrying out independent activities, which is why she was able to achieve remarkable activities in the U.S."

She continued, "The fundamental issue raised by the grandmother is to reflect on the movement methods of the past 30 years and how to resolve them, and to question whether a leading activist of the comfort women movement becoming a member of the National Assembly is truly the way to accomplish that work."

She also said, "Whether the organizations involved in comfort women activities have transparently used the donations they raised is also a very important issue," and requested, "Please do not insult the grandmother by equating her with malicious attacks."

Kim is known to have assisted the activities of Japanese military sexual slavery victims in the U.S. locally. She also served as an interpreter when the grandmother testified at a U.S. congressional hearing. The organization she belongs to, the Korean American Forum of California (KAFC), has contributed to the establishment of memorials in California.

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