[Photo] Civic groups calls for the return of the remains of forced laborer victims

The civic group, “Citizens’ Committee to Address the Problem of Returning the Remains of Forced Laborers” held an emergency press conference in front of the Japanese embassy in the Jongno district of Seoul on Mar. 22. The group is calling on the Japanese and South Korean governments to arrange the return of the remains of 131 victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period. The remains are currently being held in a Buddhist temple at Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. “The temple can’t continue to house the remains, and if we can’t receive them by Mar. 30, they will be moved for storage to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. In that case, it will be more difficult for the remains to be returned to Korea,” said Lee Hee-ja, a family member of one of the victims and the co-representative of the, “Committee to Push Ahead with Compensation for Victims of the Pacific War.” (by Kim Seong-gwang, staff photographer)