Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Thousands of South Koreans rallied today in Seoul to honour Kim Bok-dong, a Korean woman forced into sexual slavery during World War II.
Kim, 92, died after a long battle with cancer. In 1992 she was one of the first Korean women to speak out against the mistreatment and abuse she and other women endured at the hands of Japan’s military. In so doing, she broke the wall of silence erected after the Second World War.
“She suddenly opened her eyes yesterday and told a long story,” said Yoon Mee-hyang, who leads an advocate group for the women. “I couldn’t decipher everything but one thing I could hear clearly was that we had to fight until the end”.
During his visit on Tuesday to the funeral home where Kim’s body was laying, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said it was “heart-breaking” that victims die without a resolution of the issue.
Kim was 14 when she was first sexually abused after being forced into a military brothel, eventually travelling with Japanese soldiers to China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore
For decades she slammed Japan’s attitude, which defined victims as "comfort women" or "volunteers in search of a better life".
Kim will be buried tomorrow, and her casket will go past Japan’s embassy before burial.
