Comfort woman memorial to be unveiled on Seoul’s Mt. Namsan

A miniature version of the comfort woman memorial set to be unveiled on Seoul’s Mt. Namsan on Aug. 14. (provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government)

Statue donated and funded by foundation based in San Francisco

A statue honoring the comfort women, a euphemism for women who were forced into sexual servitude under the Japanese imperial army, will be installed on the former site of the Joseon Shrine, a Shinto shrine that was built on Mt. Namsan in Seoul during the Japanese colonial occupation.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Aug. 12 that it would be erecting the statue next to the Namsan Public Library as a tribute to the comfort women’s suffering, struggle, and courage. Standing 160cm tall, the statue will depict a Korean girl, a Chinese girl, and a Filipina girl holding hands and boldly staring ahead.

Another statue will be installed to the side, this one representing the late Kim Hak-sun, former comfort woman and human rights activist, looking at the three girls. In 1991, Kim became the first person to testify publicly about her experiences as a comfort woman.

These statues are the work of American sculptor Steven Whyte, creator of the comfort woman memorial that was erected in San Francisco. Whyte left an empty spot in the statue next to the three girls, indicating that the statue is only completed when someone steps up to join hands with them. Another distinctive feature of the statue is that it was built low to the ground, so that the comfort women issue won’t feel as distant to visitors.

A miniature version of the comfort woman memorial set to be unveiled on Seoul’s Mt. Namsan on Aug. 14. (provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government)

This statue was donated to the city of Seoul by Koreans living in San Francisco, who raised money to pay for its construction. In 2017, San Francisco became the first major city in the US to host a comfort woman memorial.

Seoul was approached about installing the statue by the San Francisco-based Jin Duck and Kyung Sik Kim Foundation. Work on the statue began in San Francisco in June 2018, and it was delivered to Seoul, via Busan, in July. All costs were covered by the foundation.

“Just like the memorial in San Francisco, the Seoul memorial symbolizes the eradication of human trafficking and sexual violence. It will help improve future generations’ attitude toward human rights and remind them of the lessons of history,” said Kim Han-il, president of the foundation.

Seoul explained that the former site of the Joseon Shrine had been chosen because it’s “both a place where we can reflect upon our painful history and a place that we often visit in our everyday lives.”

During the Japanese colonial occupation, this is where Japan erected the office of the resident-general and the headquarters of its garrison in Korea. It also relocated the Gugsadang shrine — which had been built by King Taejo, founder of the Joseon Dynasty — and replaced it with a shrine representing Shinto, the state religion of the Japanese empire.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and a comfort woman advocacy group called the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan are planning to unveil the statue on Aug. 14, which has been designated a day of remembrance for the comfort women.

The name of the statue will be selected from ideas submitted by the public. To submit an idea, download the form at the Korean Council’s website (http://www.womenandwar.net) and email it to [e-mail]. Submissions will be accepted between Aug. 16 and Nov. 30.

By Chai Yoon-tae, staff reporter

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