Grandmother I Yong-su to Refute 'Comfort Women Defamation' at Harvard University Seminar

Grandmother Lee Yong-soo (92), a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery, is holding a press conference on the afternoon of May 25 last year at the Inter-Burgo Hotel in Manchon-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Soyoung] Grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery, directly refutes the paper by Harvard Law School professor Mark Ramseyer, who described the victims as "prostitutes."

On the 17th, Grandmother Lee is scheduled to attend an online seminar hosted by the Harvard Asia-Pacific Law Students Association (APALSA) to testify about the victims of the military sexual slavery.

This testimony is said to be at the request of local students aiming to correct historical distortion and will be broadcast live via Facebook.

Prior to this, on the 16th at 11 a.m., Grandmother Lee will hold a press conference at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. At this event, she plans to urge the government to bring the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

A representative of the Committee for the Promotion of Referral of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Issue to the ICJ stated, "We will urge that the issue be resolved based on international law with a victim-centered approach and appeal for public support for a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship."

Professor Ramseyer's claims have caused a significant stir both domestically and internationally. Korean-American U.S. Representative Young Kim (Korean name Kim Young-ok), a member of the Republican Party, said on her Twitter on the 11th (local time), "Ramseyer's claims are not only misleading but disgusting." Meanwhile, some Japanese scholars and media have expressed support.

In response to the controversy, Professor Ramseyer said, "I have a responsibility to my students, so I am willing to discuss my paper with them." However, he also maintained his position, stating, "I do not plan to conduct further research on this topic."

Meanwhile, an international academic journal that was scheduled to publish the paper has launched an investigation. The journal announced a "statement of concern" to inform that concerns have been raised regarding the historical evidence presented in the paper.

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