Rallies urging the Japanese government to settle the unresolved issue of Korean and other Asian women who were forced to sexually service the Japanese military during World War II are scheduled to be held in major cities worldwide this week, the event's organizer said Monday.
The Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, which has held such rallies in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul every Wednesday for years, said it plans to expand the rallies globally on the occasion of its 721st gathering on Wednesday.
"The 'World Solidarity Gathering' will be held in cities in 27 countries on the same date, including Japan, the United States, Germany, Denmark, Australia, Hong Kong and Nepal," an official from the group said.
The event has been arranged at the recommendation of Amnesty International, which issued a report on the so-called "comfort women" last October, the official said. South Korean Jang Jeom-dol, 84, will testify about her experience as a sex slave in front of demonstrators in Melbourne, Australia, the official said.
The Seoul government and civic activists earlier said Japan is legally responsible for forcing about 80,000 to 160,000 Korean women into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers, and committing other crimes during its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
Seoul, Aug. 7 (Yonhap News)
Rallies on sex slaves by Japan's past military to be held worldwide |
