Gwangju Seo-gu Prepares Memorial Site for Comfort Women Victims on 'Day of Remembrance'

Published 12 Aug.2021 13:58(KST)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (District Mayor Seo Dae-seok) announced on the 12th that a flower offering place was prepared at the ‘Statue of Peace’ erected in the district office plaza to commemorate the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ Victims Memorial Day (August 14).

On the 13th, Seo-gu allowed citizens to freely visit the Statue of Peace for one day to offer flowers and observe a moment of silence.

‘Memorial Day’ marks the day when the late Kim Hak-soon, a victim of the Japanese military comfort women, first revealed her suffering to the world (August 14, 1991), honoring the victims of the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ and widely raising awareness of the ‘comfort women’ issue both domestically and internationally.

It is also a national memorial day designated in South Korea in 2017 to share hearts for human rights and peace.

This year marks the fourth ‘Memorial Day’ and the meaningful 30th anniversary since the first victim testimony. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the official commemorative event was omitted, and flower offerings were conducted safely while observing social distancing.

Seo Dae-seok, Mayor of Seo-gu, said, “On Memorial Day, I hope many citizens take the opportunity to comfort the pain of the victim grandmothers and develop a correct historical awareness,” adding, “We will continue efforts to restore the honor and dignity of the victim grandmothers and widely promote the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ issue as a value of women’s human rights and peace both domestically and internationally.”