The Korean Council
151 admin 2008-09-11 2180
Letter from a high school student

Hi. This is Jang, Yoon Jung from Suwon Womens' High School. Firstly, I want to say that I feel deep sorrow toward this reality. Those victims of military slavery were taken by Japanese military and suffered harsh and inhumane sexual slavery. I could look up various testimonies by the victims on the homepage of Korean Women Council for myself. Almost everyone joined the sexual slavery with out any specific explanation but brief information that they can make money working at factories. For the sake of whole family, those victims of sexual slavery sacrificed themselves not knowing that they will be exploited as slaves. I could imagine the sorrow and despair that women would have suffered. Taking a harsh voyage, not knowing where they are heading to, they arrived at an unknown place. Unlike former explanation from Japanese military that they would work at factories to make money, they were used as sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers. This wasn't the only case for the Korean women. Hundreds and thousands of Asian women were taken from farmlands similar to this case and forced to become sexual slaves. Even if they become pregnant, their child were taken away from their mothers without any notice.

Then, what kinds of authorities and rights that Japan had to commit such a inhumane crime? What is even worse is that Japan is distorting their tainted history instead of compensation toward the victims. We need to be well organized to fight against this crime of Japan. Also, we desperately need support from the Korean government. Of, course it would be almost impossible for me to fully understand the sorrow and empathize the past of those victims. But I assure you that from now one I will be paying deep attention about the history distortion from Japanese government and make sure that their sin would be fully reveal to the future generation.

I want to give a simple cheer to the victims, God bless you all.

-2008.09.09 translated by Jang, Ji Ho-