'Nanum-ui Jip' Supporters File Lawsuit to Return Tens of Billions in Donations

A vehicle is parked at Nanum House in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, on the 25th of last month, when the second press conference of Japanese military comfort women victim Grandmother Lee Yong-soo was held. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] A class-action lawsuit demanding the return of donations has been filed against the comfort women support facility 'Nanum-ui Jip (Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province)', which is suspected of diverting funds meant for Japanese military comfort women victims to real estate purchases and other uses.

The 'Comfort Women Grandmothers Donation and Support Fund Return Lawsuit Countermeasure Group (Countermeasure Group)' submitted a complaint to the Seoul Central District Court on the 4th, requesting the social welfare corporation operating Nanum-ui Jip, 'Daehan Buddhist Jogye Order Nanum-ui Jip', to return the donations.

Kim Young-ho, the representative of the Countermeasure Group, stated, "There are suspicions that Nanum-ui Jip used tens of billions of won in donations received on behalf of the victim grandmothers not for their medical care or funeral support, but to build a 'hotel-style nursing home.' What was thought to be a sanctuary that cherished and cared for the grandmothers was busy using the donations for their own benefit," he criticized.

Kim added, "As circumstances revealing that the donations were not properly executed are emerging one after another, many donors have joined the donation return lawsuit. I believe it is the donors' rightful responsibility to ensure that donations are used according to their intended purpose."

The organization opened an online cafe called 'Comfort Women Grandmothers Donation Return Lawsuit Countermeasure Group' at the end of last month to recruit donors willing to participate in the lawsuit. As of 3 PM on the 4th, 132 members had joined the cafe.

Established in 1992, Nanum-ui Jip currently houses five comfort women victims. Donations to Nanum-ui Jip amounted to 1.8 billion won in 2018, and last year, about 60,000 people contributed, raising a total of 2.5 billion won.

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