United Future Party Female Lawmakers: "Immediately Stop the Second Victimization of Grandma Lee Yong-su... An Insult to History"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Female lawmakers of the United Future Party urged on the 2nd to stop the secondary victimization of Grandma Lee Yong-soo, a comfort woman victim.

Kim Mi-ae, a member of the Emergency Response Committee (ERC), and other female lawmakers of the United Future Party said at the National Assembly Communication Office on the same day, "Grandma Lee's cry is a universal issue for women and humanity, so no one should use this matter as a tool for political strife."

This came after Grandma Lee raised suspicions against Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (former director of the Justice and Memory Foundation), and hate speech with personal attacks spread mainly among Democratic Party supporters.

They pointed out, "Immediately stop the inhumane secondary victimization of Grandma Lee spreading online and offline." They added, "Grandma Lee courageously raised issues against the Justice and Memory Foundation and Representative Yoon through two press conferences, but what she received in return were personal attacks and hateful expressions that are hard to even put into words."

They continued, "Online, there are excessive attacks ranging from 'elderly disparagement' remarks to 'regional slurs,' with insults, blame based on speculation, and distortions mentioning nonexistent facts as if they were true. The core of this issue is to uncover the Justice and Memory Foundation’s accounting fraud suspicions and Representative Yoon’s personal corruption allegations, not to belittle the achievements of the Justice and Memory Foundation, which has been active for comfort women victims."

The lawmakers stated, "Some factions within the Democratic Party refuse to view the reasonable criticisms and objective perspectives on Representative Yoon and the Justice and Memory Foundation suspicions from the public’s viewpoint." They added, "Such perspectives obscure the essence of the message Grandma Lee wanted to convey and do not help in resolving the comfort women issue or seeking new alternatives."

They further said, "Baseless slander and attacks against Grandma Lee will never hide or cover up this corruption," adding, "Personal attacks on Grandma Lee are an insult to the comfort women grandmothers, who are living witnesses of a tragic history, an insult to the mothers and daughters of this land, and an insult to history."

The lawmakers proposed, "Female lawmakers of the 21st National Assembly also suggest working together on this issue beyond party lines," and said, "Female lawmakers of the United Future Party will continue to prioritize 'victim-centeredness' in this matter, stand with the victim grandmothers in spirit, honor their intentions, and do their best to improve related laws and policies."

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