"Gwak Sang-do Criticizes Moon's Remarks: 'The People Want Yoon Mi-hyang Punished'"

"The people are angry... They demand punishment for Yoon Mi-hyang and the dissolution of Jeonguiyeon"

Gwak Sang-do, Chairman of the Future United Party's Task Force for the Truth Investigation on Comfort Women Victims, is speaking at the first TF meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 25th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As President Moon Jae-in expressed his position on the controversy surrounding the Justice Memory Solidarity on the 8th, Gwak Sang-do, a member of the Future United Party, criticized, saying, "I suspect the intention might be to deliberately hide the truth by deviating from the essence."

On the same day, Gwak posted on his Facebook, pointing out, "President Moon Jae-in's remarks today (regarding Justice Solidarity) are shocking in how he perceives the situation."

He stated, "The Justice Solidarity incident is not, as the president said, an attempt to deny the comfort women movement itself or to damage the cause of the movement," adding, "It is even less a challenge to the legitimacy of the comfort women movement, which was dedicated to exposing inhumane war crimes and advocating for women's human rights."

Regarding Yoon Mi-hyang, former chairperson of Justice Memory Solidarity and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, he claimed, "What the public is angry about is the demand to punish Yoon Mi-hyang, who exploited comfort women victims as a means of making money, and to dismantle Justice Solidarity and the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdaehyeop)."

He continued, "They are asking to listen to the hardships and voices of the comfort women grandmothers and to establish measures that can embrace and help their difficult lives," emphasizing this point.

President Moon Jae-in is presiding over the senior secretaries and aides meeting at the Blue House on the 8th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Gwak further criticized, "Comfort woman victim Grandma Lee Yong-soo also said, 'Jeongdaehyeop has been exploiting the victim grandmothers for 30 years, which has now been revealed,' and 'Jeongdaehyeop must be dismantled.' Does the Moon Jae-in administration not hear the desperate cries of these victim grandmothers?"

He added, "Rather than leading the way to reveal the truth, neglecting it is, as the president said, an act that destroys the dignity and honor of the victim grandmothers," and questioned, "If you touch my side, are all the comfort women victims just mere bystanders?"

He urged, "How long will President Moon Jae-in remain a 'one-eyed' president who only cares for and looks at 'his side'? I hope he will promptly reveal the truth of Yoon Mi-hyang and Justice Solidarity incidents and respond to the cries of the victim grandmothers to wipe away their tears."

On the same day at 2 p.m., President Moon presided over a senior secretaries meeting at the Blue House Yeomin-gwan and expressed his position on the Justice Memory Solidarity incident for the first time.

At the meeting, President Moon said, "The 30-year history of the comfort women movement was a step toward protecting human dignity and advancing women's rights and peace," adding, "The movement began with the historic testimony of Grandma Kim Hak-soon. The victims broke the wall of silence, declaring 'I am living proof,' and informed the public of the horrors of the suffering in the streets, courts, and both domestic and international communities, appealing for a just resolution."

President Moon also emphasized, "As a result of persistent solidarity and cooperation among victims, activists, and citizens over 30 years, the comfort women movement has established itself as a global human rights movement. It is a history that can never be denied or belittled," and regarding the current Justice Solidarity incident, he stated, "Attempts by some to deny the comfort women movement itself and to damage the cause of the movement are wrong. (Such attempts) destroy even the dignity and honor of the victim grandmothers."

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