Controversy Erupts Over Opinion Piece Defending Ramseyer Claiming "Comfort Women = Prostitutes"

Professors from Hanyang University and Yonsei University Publish Article Supporting Ramseyer's Paper
Hanyang Alumni Group "Calls for Dismissal of the Professor"
Experts "Ramseyer's Paper Contains Biased Claims... Truly Inappropriate"

Associate Professor Jo Phillips of Underwood International College at Yonsei University and Professor Joseph Lee of Political Science and International Relations at Hanyang University co-authored an article published in the American foreign affairs magazine The Diplomat. Photo by The Diplomat (screenshot)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] Amid rising public outrage over the paper by Harvard Law School professor John Mark Ramseyer, who claimed that Japanese military comfort women were 'prostitutes,' controversy has erupted as professors from domestic universities such as Yonsei University and Hanyang University published opinion pieces seemingly defending Ramseyer's claims.

Ramseyer's paper, which asserts that Japanese military comfort women were prostitutes who voluntarily gathered and received payment without coercion, is scheduled to be published in the March issue of the International Review of Law and Economics. Upon learning this, domestic organizations such as the cyber diplomatic corps VANK and the Justice and Memory Foundation criticized the paper, stating that it not only contradicts historical truth but also appears to justify Japanese imperialism.

Additionally, young members of the Korean-American youth organization Hwarang Youth Foundation posted a petition on the world's largest petition site, Change.org, demanding the withdrawal of Ramseyer's paper and disciplinary action against him by Harvard University. The World History Digital Education Foundation also announced on the 21st (local time) that it would launch a project to include the comfort women issue in educational materials for U.S. middle and high school classes, continuing the movement to challenge Ramseyer's paper.

Professor John Mark Ramseyer of Harvard Law School, who wrote a paper claiming "comfort women = prostitutes." Photo by Harvard Law School (public video capture)

However, amid this, Associate Professor Joe Phillips of Yonsei University's Underwood International College and Professor Joseph Lee of Hanyang University's Department of Political Science and International Relations jointly contributed an English article titled "'Comfort Women' and Academic Freedom" to the American foreign affairs magazine The Diplomat on the 18th (local time), sparking controversy. In the article, they introduced themselves as "scholars based in South Korea" and argued that "the recent debate over the Harvard professor's paper shows how limited the space for discussion and debate has become."

They continued, "Attacking Ramseyer's academic integrity due to his private connections with Japan is unproductive and sounds xenophobic," adding, "Criticizing his work for lacking a Korean perspective presupposes a homogeneous and victim-centered 'Korean' viewpoint."

They further stated, "In South Korea, restricting research and discussion on 'comfort women' has grown into a form of groupthink in society and politics," and emphasized, "These are matters worthy of passionate public debate. We call for discussion, not condemnation."

Moreover, the two professors pointed out, "Activist groups selectively delete information that does not fit their narrative and amplify information that does," and noted, "Some scholars who publicly questioned the abduction theory of 'comfort women' have been frequently harassed by activists, investigated by their schools, and prosecuted by authorities."

On the afternoon of September 2 last year, rainwater had pooled in the eyes of the statue of a girl in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

News of the publication of this opinion piece sparked strong backlash from students of the professors' affiliated universities and netizens.

On the 21st, the student council of Hanyang University's Department of Political Science and International Relations and alumni groups such as the Lee Kyung-seok Scholarship Association issued a statement condemning Professor Joseph Lee and announced the launch of a petition campaign calling for his dismissal.

In the statement, they said, "Since 2016, Professor Lee has repeatedly made disrespectful remarks about Japanese military comfort women victims in the classroom without any apology or remorse," and demanded, "Hanyang University must expel Professor Joseph Lee." They added, "The university has also neglected students' demands for non-renewal of Professor Lee's contract and dismissal," and stated, "We plan to formalize our demands in writing and visit the university to protest, as we can no longer tolerate this."

In fact, this is not the first time Professor Lee has caused controversy over his remarks on comfort women. In 2016, during a class, he stated, "The memory of comfort women is inaccurate and cannot be trusted, and the responsibility cannot be solely attributed to the Japanese government," for which he received a verbal warning from the college. In 2019, he also sparked student backlash and a condemnation petition campaign by saying during class that "research by Korean historians on comfort women is nationalist lies."

Meanwhile, Ramseyer's paper, which defines Japanese military comfort women as 'prostitutes,' has been found to cite at least 29 inaccurate or incorrect sources. Furthermore, some sources were revealed to be posts from the far-right community 'Ilgan Best' hosted on an unidentified domestic blog, and the ethics committee has begun reviewing Ramseyer's other historically distorted papers, raising doubts about the paper's foundation.

Domestic experts on Japanese studies have also evaluated Ramseyer's paper as flawed. Professor Yang Ki-ho of the Department of Japanese Studies at Sungkonghoe University said on the 18th on YTN Radio's 'Hwang Bo-seon's Start New Morning' program that Ramseyer's paper is "really inappropriate. Remarks that mock victims are so disappointing that one wonders if this is truly a professor at one of America's top universities."

Professor Yang pointed out, "Ramseyer's paper is a highly biased depiction that even overturns the 1993 Kono Statement by the Japanese government," adding, "Multiple investigations have confirmed forced mobilization, and the Japanese government has acknowledged coercion against the victims against their will. His claims overturning these facts are seriously flawed and biased."

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