연대사업[Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media] Media that politicizes and ignores victims prevents resolution of the Japanese military "comfort women" issue
Media that politicizes and ignores victims prevents resolution of the Japanese military "comfort women" issue -1- Korean Video / Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media
https://youtu.be/l_GA3BFqNF8
Media that politicizes and ignores victims prevents resolution of the Japanese military "comfort women" issue -2- Korean Video / Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media
The following is a translation of videos created by Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media, which are linked above.
Japanese military “comfort women” issue and the media 1 / Media that politicizes and ignores victims prevents resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue
On May 7, 2020, Japanese military “comfort women” victim and women’s rights activist Lee Yong-soo held a press conference.
The press primarily reported that…
The “comfort women” organizations’ donation fund operations lacked transparency, and that the funds were not being used for the victims.
At the time of the 2015 Korea-Japan “comfort women” agreement, only Yoon Mee-hyang was aware of the fact that Japan had promised 1 billion yen, while the victims were unaware.
Afterward, media coverage primarily by the Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Daily reported that then-Democratic Party candidate Yoon Mee-hyang (former chairwoman of The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (hereafter The Korean Council) / representative of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan) had been ignoring the victim halmonis’ opinions in her activism. The coverage also developed the narrative that the donation funds were used in unethical ways.
The dominant narrative of Yoon Mee-hyang and the “comfort women” organization’s scandal began to erase the core problem of holding Japan historically accountable to apologize and accept legal responsibility.
Those who have seen Lee Yong-soo’s first full press conference or were present at the scene would have felt that the media coverage was misleadingly construing the activism on Japanese military sexual slavery.
As Lee Yong-soo has subsequently stated in both press conferences and official statements, her claim is not about “The Korean Council’s alleged fraud.”
The main messages she intended to put forth in her press conference was that…
In order to build constructive relationships between Korean and Japanese citizens, we must focus on education initiatives such as exchange and collaboration between students of both countries.
If there are any setbacks in the movement, we must overcome them and improve the transparency of civil society organizations.
Regarding the 2015 rushed agreement, the civil society opinion collection process and government official conversation records should be disclosed.
Her message addressed the direction for the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue moving forward, and raised issues with civil society organizations’ approaches to activism; she was not suggesting that the 30-year-long “comfort women” movement has been wrong.
1:27
Why did the media focus on the “poor management of donation funds” allegation?
The Korean Council’s “poor management of donation funds'' received the most coverage following Lee Yong-soo’s first press conference. Major newspapers excluding The Hankyoreh like Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Daily, Dong-A Ilbo, and Kyunghyang Shinmun all published relevant articles. Chosun Ilbo especially was central to the coverage of these allegations.
Chosun Ilbo published in an article that Yoon Mee-hyang had used “comfort women” victims to send her daughter to study abroad and that the Korean Council had used the Kim Bok Dong scholarship money to support civil society organization activists.
However, these contents are not relevant to the contents of Lee Yong-soo’s first press conference. The problem Lee Yong-soo raised about donation funds was “What do protests (Wednesday Demonstrations) do? They had no use. I celebrated my birthday at a hotel, the director of the Daegu Citizens’ Forum for Halmoni’s historical museum would bring the 10 million won of congratulatory money for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. They should use it for the halmonis. For 120 days, I had to go to Washington D.C. to try to pass the [U.S. House of Representatives] resolution but not one person supported me financially. I don’t even know where the donation funds are used.”
Regardless of Lee Yong-soo’s press conference, it is always necessary to address the accounting errors that may arise due to the differences in fund operations between public foundations/civil society organizations and businesses. The problem is that some media went beyond Lee Yong-soo’s statements or the Korean Council’s clarifications, misconstruing the issue to make it seem as though there were substantial malfeasances. The Korean Council stated that while it had no intentions of doing so, some errors were found in its finances. It also requested re-disclosure and released numerous documents clarifying the situation, but the press continued the misleading coverage.
2:49
Rooted in a misunderstanding of civil society finance management, the press went so far as to report “33 million won spent at a pub”. This article by the Korea Economic Daily triggered countless subsequent articles concerning civil society organizations’ alleged financial malfeasance.
3:00
August 1991: No one addressed the issue as a political problem
Kim Hak-soon halmoni’s first testimony (August 14, 1991)
“It was just despicable. When those massive soldiers would forcefully come at us, I was in such disbelief I would constantly bite my lip and try to run away. But then I would get caught and dragged back to be raped again. I was so horrified and heartbroken that I could not say a word. I tell myself all the time, ‘don’t think about those days.’ But when I do, I don’t know what to do.”
3:32
On August 14, 1991, Kim Hak-soon became the first residing in Korea to publicly testify as a Japanese military “comfort woman” victim-survivor. As the Japanese government was denying the existence of the Japanese military sexual slavery system and no one in Korea had publicly come forward as a victim-survivor, her testimony was incredibly important and valuable.
This first public testimony of a victim-survivor residing in Korea received immense media spotlight.
Records of 5 newspapers in August 1991 demonstrate that all five platforms covered Kim Hak-soon’s testimony.
August 15th, 1991 Kyunghyang Shinmun (page 12)
August 15th, 1991 Dong-A Ilbo (page 18)
August 16th, 1991 Chosun Ilbo (page 22)
August 15th, 1991 JoongAng Daily (page 18)
August 15th, 1991 The Hankyoreh (page 14)
An editorial published in the Chosun Ilbo on August 16, 1991 argued strongly for the Japanese and Korean governments to establish a solution.
“On the 14th, 66-year-old Kim Hak-soon, who had been forcibly taken as Women’s Labor Corps [translator’s note: In the early 1990s, Japanese military sexual slavery system was frequently confused with the Women’s Labor Corps, where young women and girls were forced to labor at munitions factories. After more research on the issue, the Japanese military sexual slavery system and Women’s Labor Corps were understood to be separate systems.] by the Japanese military and suffered all kinds of shame, first revealed her difficult life. The life of a woman who lived a grueling life after being forcibly taken as a “comfort woman” for the Japanese military at the age of 16 makes us reflect on our history as citizens who lost their country. We focus on Kim Hak-soon’s testimony not just to recollect our people’s sad history, but because the wrongdoings of the Japanese empire buried in history must be revealed, and a formal apology and reparations for those wrongdoings are necessary for our future and Japan-Korea relations.
It is a fact that there were around 2 million Korean forced laborers under the Japanese empire, and it is a shame that despite officially acknowledging that there were at least 660,000 Japanese forced laborers, the Japanese government still does not sufficiently disclose the truth. The fact that the Japanese government especially does not mention the Japanese military sexual slavery issue (Translator’s note: similar to the note above, the writer mentioned Women’s Labor Corps here but referred to the Japanese military sexual slavery system) elicits suspicion.
Given Kim’s testimony, we believe the Japanese government should officially apologize and pay reparations for the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. In addition, the Korean government should actively provide support through initiatives such as building memorials for victims who have been hidden in the shadows of history”
Besides the Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo and Joongang Daily also criticized Japan’s concealment of historical wrongdoings and demanded an apology and investigation of truth in their columns.
Kyunghyang Shinmun and The Hankyoreh did not publish any such editorials or columns.
Overall, at the time of Kim Hak-soon’s testimony in August 1991, all news media shared Kim’s words as they were. At the same time, they accurately pointed out the Japanese government’s responsibility to resolve the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.
This was quite different from the press conference of Lee Yong-soo in 2020.
What had happened between these two moments?
Roh Tae-woo: 1988-1993
Kim Young-sam: 1993-1998
Roh Moo-hyun: 2003-2008
Lee Myung-bak: 2008-2013
After the Roh Tae-woo administration during which Kim Hak-soon’s testimony brought public attention to the Japanese military sexual slavery, the Korean government officially began to take action to resolve the Japanese military “comfort women” issue in the Kim Young-sam administration. Shortly after being sworn into office, Kim said the following in a chief secretary meeting on March 13, 1993: “Given that we will not be demanding material reparations from the Japanese government, reparations should be made starting next year from the government’s budget. This way, we can take the moral high ground and approach new Korea-Japan relations.”
This is followed by the “Act on Livelihood Stability and Commemorative Projects, Etc., for Sexual Slavery Victims Drafted for the Japanese Imperial Army under the Japanese Colonial Rule” [translator’s note: this act was enacted by the Korean National Assembly]. It was followed by the Kono Statement. However, as the Japanese government, which expressed remorse in the Kono Statement, attempted to resolve the Japanese military sexual slavery issue through the Asian Women’s Fund, the issue was not resolved. As Japan began funding victims through the Asian Women’s Fund in 1998, the Kim Dae-jung administration expanded the Korean government’s funds. In August 2005, the Roh Moo-hyun administration disclosed documents from the 1965 Agreement Between Japan and the Republic of Korea Concerning the Settlement of Problems in Regard to Property and Claims and Economic Cooperation, and stated publicly that the agreement did not resolve the Japanese military “comfort women” issue, the Sakhalin Koreans issue, and the atomic bomb victims issue. But the government did not negotiate to resolve these issues afterward.
In this context, the Korean Constitutional Court ruled in August 2011 that the government’s lack of active efforts to solve the Japanese military “comfort women” issue was unconstitutional. However, the diplomatic tensions between Korea and Japan worsened as then-president Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo in 2012, and Japan’s Democratic Party lost to Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party. Throughout these various administrations during which the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue did not make much progress, the media’s attitude largely remained the same as in 1991. As an example, we will examine the media coverage of the August 2011 ruling by the Constitutional Court.
Chosun Ilbo editorial on the day after the Constitutional court declared that the government’s lack of action for the resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue is unconstitutional (August 31, 2011) Headline: “Government’s responsibility to actively resolve the “comfort women,” atomic bomb victims issues”
Highlighted paragraph: “Based on this ruling, the government must begin new diplomatic international law efforts to ensure that “comfort women” and atomic bomb victims receive reparations from the Japanese government. This ruling was instrumental in demonstrating that the government has a constitutional duty to act as much as possible for redress when its citizens’ human rights have been violated by another nation’s illegal acts.”
The Hankyoreh editorial (August 31, 2011)
Headline: “Constitutional Court rules that government should take initiative to resolve “comfort women” issue”
Highlighted Paragraph: “The government must officially initiate diplomatic negotiations about the “comfort women” issue to ensure that the Japanese government takes legal responsibility, officially apologizes, and provides reparations.”
While they differ in severity, Chosun Ilbo and The Hankyoreh’s editorials both argue that the government should diplomatically establish the Japanese government’s legal responsibility. However, the media coverage shifts drastically as the Park Geun-hye administration held the Korea-Japan Minister of Foreign Affairs Conference and established the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation.
2013: After the Park administration begins, the media visibly begins engaging in politics.
Japanese military “comfort women” issue and the media 2 / Media that politicizes and ignores victims prevents resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue
Japanese Prime Minister Abe took office towards the end of 2012, and Korean President Park Geun-hye took office at the beginning of 2013. For 2 years and 8 months, the Korea-Japan summit was not held. In November of 2015, the two finally met, but for the first time in 3 and a half years.
Many analyses suggested that no summits were held during this period because President Park entwined the Japanese military “comfort women” issue with the question of whether to hold a summit, thereby freezing diplomatic relations herself.
The Park administration, which consistently advocated for resolving the “comfort women” issue since its inauguration, also voiced its strong opinion in the 2015 memorial statement.
-- 0:28 --
2015 Presidential Speech for the March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event, “‘Comfort women’ victim halmonis’ human rights issue should be resolved”
“We are gathered here today to commend the great spirit of the March 1st Movement. This year is also meaningful because it marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. Now it is time for us to become companions in the more mature 50 years ahead of us and write a new history. We have urged the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” victim halmonis’ human rights issue, which is necessary for the journey into the future we share.”
-- 1:14 --
Five newspapers’ headlines on the day after President Park’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech
Chosun Ilbo: To North Korea, “conversation will open path”; To Japan, “regretful reflection will open path”
JoongAng Daily: “Remembering only what is necessary is not history”
Dong-A Ilbo: “Japan, let’s resolve “comfort women” issue and enter future as companions”
Kyunghyang Shinmun: President Park says to Japan “admit historical truth and let’s write a new history together”
The Hankyoreh: “Inaccurate historical textbooks hurt relations with neighboring countries” President Park maintains a hardline stance on Japan
All five newspapers we monitored covered the president’s March 1st speech. The five newspapers’ similar tone is reflected in their opinion section. In their opinion section, the newspapers all expressed concerns about Korea-Japan relations that had been stagnant.
Chosun Ilbo on the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“Japan must reconsider its principles of historical revisionism, and Korea must be flexible in its approach in dealing with Japan’s revisionism”
JoongAng Daily on the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“It would have been difficult for President Park to express friendliness toward Japan when Japan’s attitude had not changed.”
Dong-A Ilbo on the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“Our survey shows that experts rated current Korea-Japan relations at the worst rating of 3.85 out of 10”
Kyunghyang Shinmun on the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“President Park’s March 1st memorial speech and relevant behaviors show that this year’s March 1st did not serve as a stimulus for peace on the Korean peninsula.”
The Hankyoreh on the day after the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“President Park’s attitude toward Japan is not wrong at a principle level, but from a practical perspective it is frustrating to see how she will apply those principles”
-- 1:50 --
While the media largely reflected similar historical perceptions until March 2015, they began to visibly grow divided since December 2015. On December 28, 2015, the ministers of foreign affairs of Japan and Korea announced an agreement on the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.
KBS: “Korea and Japan have reached an agreement for the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.”
SBS: “At their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two countries finally reached a compromise regarding the “comfort women” issue, which was their greatest diplomatic challenge.”
Yonhap: “Finally, after 24 years, Korea and Japan settled the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.”
-- 2:13 --
Was the Korea-Japan “comfort women” agreement settled in December 2015? And what about the media that forgot the “victims’ voice”?
On the morning newspapers from December 28, 2015, which was written before the agreement was reached, all five newspapers expressed hope for an “innovative solution” that would satisfy both parties, wariness of Japan’s use of the media, and concern over an “insufficient agreement.”
The five newspapers’ headlines on the day of the agreement:
Chosun Ilbo: Would Japan, Korea find a breakthrough with “neutral rhetoric” surrounding “comfort women” legal responsibility
JoongAng Daily: To not lose the fight, Lee Sang-duk does not dye his white hair
Dong-A Ilbo: President Park’s concerns: “an insufficient agreement would draw backlash”
Kyunghyang Shinmun: Rapid waves of solving “Japanese government’s legal responsibility” in the “comfort women” issue
The Hankyoreh: Korea, Japan rush to “find an innovative solution to the ‘comfort women’ issue”
-- 2:53 --
What about media coverage on the day after the agreement?
All five newspapers expressed concern and welcome.
This settlement is not legally binding.
It became the “final resolution.”
It contradicts the sentiment among victim-survivors, civic groups, and the general public.
The Japanese government officially admitted to responsibility in mobilizing “comfort women” for the first time.
It promised to financially support the victim-survivors through the Japanese government budget.
The two nations resolved the largest diplomatic issue for the first time in 24 years and created a new foundation for relations between the two countries moving forward
-- 3:24 --
But of course, their emphases were different.
Let’s compare The Hankyoreh and JoongAng Daily’s reports from the following day. The Hankyoreh most strongly criticized the agreement.
The Hankyoreh editorial on the day after the 2015 “comfort women” agreement (2015.12.29)
In its editorial, The Hankyoreh stressed that the issue cannot be resolved without legal responsibility and urged further discussion.
JoongAng Dailyeditorial on the day after the 2015 “comfort women” agreement (2015.12.29)
JoongAng Daily primarily expressed concern about the controversies that may arise following the agreement. It referred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ claim that the agreement was the best outcome that could be achieved, and ended the editorial with a hopeful offer.
The Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, founded to carry out the Korea-Japan “comfort women” agreement, announced its establishment on July 28, 2016, by hosting the “Reconciliation and Healing Foundation office sign unveiling ceremony” and the “Reconciliation and Healing Foundation press conference.” At this press conference, two incidents took place:
(Yonhap News)
“A foundation supporting the ‘comfort women’ victims was officially launched yesterday”
(YTN)
“After the press conference about the foundation’s launching, Chairman Kim Tae-hyun of the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation was attacked with capsaicin. As she was stepping outside after finishing the foundation’s launching ceremony and press conference in a building in Jung-gu, Seoul, a man in his 30s ran up to Chairman Kim and sprayed self-defense capsaicin on her face.
(SBS)
“The Korean Council and other civic groups held a protest demanding the Japanese government’s official apology and legal reparations. Around 20 college students intruded the press conference by surprise and were arrested by the police.”
The launch of the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation led to the division of
Chosun, JoongAng, Dong-A vs. Hankyoreh, Kyunghyang
-- 4:52 --
The next day, Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Daily only reported the fact that Chairman Kim Tae-hyun had been attacked with capsaicin.
Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Daily’s reports on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
(Headline) “Capsaicin sprayed onto ‘Comfort Women Foundation’ on the first day of launching”
JoongAng Daily in particular placed this report on its front page.
JoongAng Daily’s only articles related to the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation on this date were the front page photo and a subsequent article on page 10.
Dong-A Ilbo’s reports on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
Dong-A Ilbo reported that the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation held its sign unveiling ceremony and delivered the information that discussions were still underway on how to use the 1 billion yen. It also reported that there were various opinions regarding the foundation’s launching. It used terms like “sudden intrusion” or “capsaicin attack” to describe the occurrences at the press conference.
In coverage by Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Daily, and Dong-A Ilbo, there were no mentions of the victims’ voices regarding the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, nor were there any voices criticizing the foundation’s reckless launching. Instead, they characterized only the incidents at the press conference as “reckless acts” or “terror,” making it seem as though there were only radical voices that were critical of improving Korea-Japan relations.
-- 6:09 --
Reports by The Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang Shinmun were different.
The Hankyoreh’s reports on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
The Hankyoreh pointed out in detail how the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation is more regressive than the “Asian Women’s Fund” that was founded in 1995 and failed.
Kyunghyang Shinmun’s on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
Kyunghyang Shinmun criticized the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation’s lack of specific program details or plans.
The Hankyoreh’s reports on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
Furthermore, both the Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang Shinmun relayed critical voices of victim-survivors such as Kim Bok-Dong and civic groups such as the Korean Council.
(Headline 6:34) The Korean Council says “government turns its back against victims’ cries… who is this foundation for”
-- 6:37 --
2020: Let’s return to the “victims’ voice” for resolution
Kim Hak-soon’s first testimony (1991.8.14)
“It was just despicable. When those massive soldiers would forcefully come at us, I was in such disbelief I would constantly bite my lip and try to run away. But then I would get caught and dragged back to be raped again. I was so horrified and heartbroken that I could not say a word. I tell myself all the time, ‘don’t think about those days.’ But when I do, I don’t know what to do.”
When Kim Hak-soon gave her first testimony on August 14, 1991, every media channel shared her voice in their newspapers.
Chosun Ilbo: Given Kim’s testimony, we believe the Japanese government should officially apologize and pay reparations for the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. In addition, the Korean government should actively provide support through initiatives such as building memorials for victims who have been hidden in the shadows of history.
JoongAng Daily: The fact that they have not even provided a formal apology, let alone reparations, proves how cunning and shameless they are.
… It’s not too late. “Comfort women” victims have overcome major hardships in their lives and have transcended honor and disgrace. For the sake of historical record, we must document their testimonies.
-- 7:34 --
These media channels are giving completely different stories in less than 30 years. What changed their perspectives?
Of course, much has changed over the last 30 years.
Korea developed economically.
Politically, a democratic administration came into place
And the voices of civil society calling for resolution of the “comfort women” issue have grown louder.
Japan’s administration changed, too.
And the international state of affairs shifted as well.
But does that mean the directions and methods for resolving the Japanese military “comfort women” issue should change as well?
The aspect of media coverage that seems to have changed the most is the presence or absence of “victims’ perspective.”
This change is shaped by whether we approach the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue through the lens of victims’ perspective.
It is inherently unreasonable to try to resolve an issue concerning victims without those victims’ voices.
The media must return to the victims’ voices.
-- 8:27 --
We must continue to demand that Japan provide a genuine and official apology and legal reparations, as well as education that builds correct historical awareness for its future generations.
Peace activist and women’s rights activist Kim Bok Dong left us this will:
“Please fight until the end for the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue. Please keep supporting students of Korean ethnic schools in Japan for me.” - Kim Bok Dong
The following is a translation of videos created by Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media, which are linked above.
Japanese military “comfort women” issue and the media 1 / Media that politicizes and ignores victims prevents resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue
On May 7, 2020, Japanese military “comfort women” victim and women’s rights activist Lee Yong-soo held a press conference.
The press primarily reported that…
Afterward, media coverage primarily by the Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Daily reported that then-Democratic Party candidate Yoon Mee-hyang (former chairwoman of The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (hereafter The Korean Council) / representative of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan) had been ignoring the victim halmonis’ opinions in her activism. The coverage also developed the narrative that the donation funds were used in unethical ways.
The dominant narrative of Yoon Mee-hyang and the “comfort women” organization’s scandal began to erase the core problem of holding Japan historically accountable to apologize and accept legal responsibility.
Those who have seen Lee Yong-soo’s first full press conference or were present at the scene would have felt that the media coverage was misleadingly construing the activism on Japanese military sexual slavery.
As Lee Yong-soo has subsequently stated in both press conferences and official statements, her claim is not about “The Korean Council’s alleged fraud.”
The main messages she intended to put forth in her press conference was that…
Her message addressed the direction for the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue moving forward, and raised issues with civil society organizations’ approaches to activism; she was not suggesting that the 30-year-long “comfort women” movement has been wrong.
1:27
Why did the media focus on the “poor management of donation funds” allegation?
The Korean Council’s “poor management of donation funds'' received the most coverage following Lee Yong-soo’s first press conference. Major newspapers excluding The Hankyoreh like Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Daily, Dong-A Ilbo, and Kyunghyang Shinmun all published relevant articles. Chosun Ilbo especially was central to the coverage of these allegations.
Chosun Ilbo published in an article that Yoon Mee-hyang had used “comfort women” victims to send her daughter to study abroad and that the Korean Council had used the Kim Bok Dong scholarship money to support civil society organization activists.
However, these contents are not relevant to the contents of Lee Yong-soo’s first press conference. The problem Lee Yong-soo raised about donation funds was “What do protests (Wednesday Demonstrations) do? They had no use. I celebrated my birthday at a hotel, the director of the Daegu Citizens’ Forum for Halmoni’s historical museum would bring the 10 million won of congratulatory money for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. They should use it for the halmonis. For 120 days, I had to go to Washington D.C. to try to pass the [U.S. House of Representatives] resolution but not one person supported me financially. I don’t even know where the donation funds are used.”
Regardless of Lee Yong-soo’s press conference, it is always necessary to address the accounting errors that may arise due to the differences in fund operations between public foundations/civil society organizations and businesses. The problem is that some media went beyond Lee Yong-soo’s statements or the Korean Council’s clarifications, misconstruing the issue to make it seem as though there were substantial malfeasances. The Korean Council stated that while it had no intentions of doing so, some errors were found in its finances. It also requested re-disclosure and released numerous documents clarifying the situation, but the press continued the misleading coverage.
2:49
Rooted in a misunderstanding of civil society finance management, the press went so far as to report “33 million won spent at a pub”. This article by the Korea Economic Daily triggered countless subsequent articles concerning civil society organizations’ alleged financial malfeasance.
3:00
August 1991: No one addressed the issue as a political problem
Kim Hak-soon halmoni’s first testimony (August 14, 1991)
“It was just despicable. When those massive soldiers would forcefully come at us, I was in such disbelief I would constantly bite my lip and try to run away. But then I would get caught and dragged back to be raped again. I was so horrified and heartbroken that I could not say a word. I tell myself all the time, ‘don’t think about those days.’ But when I do, I don’t know what to do.”
3:32
On August 14, 1991, Kim Hak-soon became the first residing in Korea to publicly testify as a Japanese military “comfort woman” victim-survivor. As the Japanese government was denying the existence of the Japanese military sexual slavery system and no one in Korea had publicly come forward as a victim-survivor, her testimony was incredibly important and valuable.
This first public testimony of a victim-survivor residing in Korea received immense media spotlight.
Records of 5 newspapers in August 1991 demonstrate that all five platforms covered Kim Hak-soon’s testimony.
August 15th, 1991 Kyunghyang Shinmun (page 12)
August 15th, 1991 Dong-A Ilbo (page 18)
August 16th, 1991 Chosun Ilbo (page 22)
August 15th, 1991 JoongAng Daily (page 18)
August 15th, 1991 The Hankyoreh (page 14)
An editorial published in the Chosun Ilbo on August 16, 1991 argued strongly for the Japanese and Korean governments to establish a solution.
“On the 14th, 66-year-old Kim Hak-soon, who had been forcibly taken as Women’s Labor Corps [translator’s note: In the early 1990s, Japanese military sexual slavery system was frequently confused with the Women’s Labor Corps, where young women and girls were forced to labor at munitions factories. After more research on the issue, the Japanese military sexual slavery system and Women’s Labor Corps were understood to be separate systems.] by the Japanese military and suffered all kinds of shame, first revealed her difficult life. The life of a woman who lived a grueling life after being forcibly taken as a “comfort woman” for the Japanese military at the age of 16 makes us reflect on our history as citizens who lost their country. We focus on Kim Hak-soon’s testimony not just to recollect our people’s sad history, but because the wrongdoings of the Japanese empire buried in history must be revealed, and a formal apology and reparations for those wrongdoings are necessary for our future and Japan-Korea relations.
It is a fact that there were around 2 million Korean forced laborers under the Japanese empire, and it is a shame that despite officially acknowledging that there were at least 660,000 Japanese forced laborers, the Japanese government still does not sufficiently disclose the truth. The fact that the Japanese government especially does not mention the Japanese military sexual slavery issue (Translator’s note: similar to the note above, the writer mentioned Women’s Labor Corps here but referred to the Japanese military sexual slavery system) elicits suspicion.
Given Kim’s testimony, we believe the Japanese government should officially apologize and pay reparations for the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. In addition, the Korean government should actively provide support through initiatives such as building memorials for victims who have been hidden in the shadows of history”
Besides the Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo and Joongang Daily also criticized Japan’s concealment of historical wrongdoings and demanded an apology and investigation of truth in their columns.
Kyunghyang Shinmun and The Hankyoreh did not publish any such editorials or columns.
Overall, at the time of Kim Hak-soon’s testimony in August 1991, all news media shared Kim’s words as they were. At the same time, they accurately pointed out the Japanese government’s responsibility to resolve the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.
This was quite different from the press conference of Lee Yong-soo in 2020.
What had happened between these two moments?
Roh Tae-woo: 1988-1993
Kim Young-sam: 1993-1998
Roh Moo-hyun: 2003-2008
Lee Myung-bak: 2008-2013
After the Roh Tae-woo administration during which Kim Hak-soon’s testimony brought public attention to the Japanese military sexual slavery, the Korean government officially began to take action to resolve the Japanese military “comfort women” issue in the Kim Young-sam administration. Shortly after being sworn into office, Kim said the following in a chief secretary meeting on March 13, 1993: “Given that we will not be demanding material reparations from the Japanese government, reparations should be made starting next year from the government’s budget. This way, we can take the moral high ground and approach new Korea-Japan relations.”
This is followed by the “Act on Livelihood Stability and Commemorative Projects, Etc., for Sexual Slavery Victims Drafted for the Japanese Imperial Army under the Japanese Colonial Rule” [translator’s note: this act was enacted by the Korean National Assembly]. It was followed by the Kono Statement. However, as the Japanese government, which expressed remorse in the Kono Statement, attempted to resolve the Japanese military sexual slavery issue through the Asian Women’s Fund, the issue was not resolved. As Japan began funding victims through the Asian Women’s Fund in 1998, the Kim Dae-jung administration expanded the Korean government’s funds. In August 2005, the Roh Moo-hyun administration disclosed documents from the 1965 Agreement Between Japan and the Republic of Korea Concerning the Settlement of Problems in Regard to Property and Claims and Economic Cooperation, and stated publicly that the agreement did not resolve the Japanese military “comfort women” issue, the Sakhalin Koreans issue, and the atomic bomb victims issue. But the government did not negotiate to resolve these issues afterward.
In this context, the Korean Constitutional Court ruled in August 2011 that the government’s lack of active efforts to solve the Japanese military “comfort women” issue was unconstitutional. However, the diplomatic tensions between Korea and Japan worsened as then-president Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo in 2012, and Japan’s Democratic Party lost to Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party. Throughout these various administrations during which the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue did not make much progress, the media’s attitude largely remained the same as in 1991. As an example, we will examine the media coverage of the August 2011 ruling by the Constitutional Court.
Chosun Ilbo editorial on the day after the Constitutional court declared that the government’s lack of action for the resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue is unconstitutional (August 31, 2011)
Headline: “Government’s responsibility to actively resolve the “comfort women,” atomic bomb victims issues”
Highlighted paragraph: “Based on this ruling, the government must begin new diplomatic international law efforts to ensure that “comfort women” and atomic bomb victims receive reparations from the Japanese government. This ruling was instrumental in demonstrating that the government has a constitutional duty to act as much as possible for redress when its citizens’ human rights have been violated by another nation’s illegal acts.”
The Hankyoreh editorial (August 31, 2011)
Headline: “Constitutional Court rules that government should take initiative to resolve “comfort women” issue”
Highlighted Paragraph: “The government must officially initiate diplomatic negotiations about the “comfort women” issue to ensure that the Japanese government takes legal responsibility, officially apologizes, and provides reparations.”
While they differ in severity, Chosun Ilbo and The Hankyoreh’s editorials both argue that the government should diplomatically establish the Japanese government’s legal responsibility. However, the media coverage shifts drastically as the Park Geun-hye administration held the Korea-Japan Minister of Foreign Affairs Conference and established the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation.
2013: After the Park administration begins, the media visibly begins engaging in politics.
Japanese military “comfort women” issue and the media 2 / Media that politicizes and ignores victims prevents resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue
Japanese Prime Minister Abe took office towards the end of 2012, and Korean President Park Geun-hye took office at the beginning of 2013. For 2 years and 8 months, the Korea-Japan summit was not held. In November of 2015, the two finally met, but for the first time in 3 and a half years.
Many analyses suggested that no summits were held during this period because President Park entwined the Japanese military “comfort women” issue with the question of whether to hold a summit, thereby freezing diplomatic relations herself.
The Park administration, which consistently advocated for resolving the “comfort women” issue since its inauguration, also voiced its strong opinion in the 2015 memorial statement.
-- 0:28 --
2015 Presidential Speech for the March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event, “‘Comfort women’ victim halmonis’ human rights issue should be resolved”
“We are gathered here today to commend the great spirit of the March 1st Movement. This year is also meaningful because it marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. Now it is time for us to become companions in the more mature 50 years ahead of us and write a new history. We have urged the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” victim halmonis’ human rights issue, which is necessary for the journey into the future we share.”
-- 1:14 --
Five newspapers’ headlines on the day after President Park’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech
Chosun Ilbo: To North Korea, “conversation will open path”; To Japan, “regretful reflection will open path”
JoongAng Daily: “Remembering only what is necessary is not history”
Dong-A Ilbo: “Japan, let’s resolve “comfort women” issue and enter future as companions”
Kyunghyang Shinmun: President Park says to Japan “admit historical truth and let’s write a new history together”
The Hankyoreh: “Inaccurate historical textbooks hurt relations with neighboring countries” President Park maintains a hardline stance on Japan
All five newspapers we monitored covered the president’s March 1st speech. The five newspapers’ similar tone is reflected in their opinion section. In their opinion section, the newspapers all expressed concerns about Korea-Japan relations that had been stagnant.
Chosun Ilbo on the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“Japan must reconsider its principles of historical revisionism, and Korea must be flexible in its approach in dealing with Japan’s revisionism”
JoongAng Daily on the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“It would have been difficult for President Park to express friendliness toward Japan when Japan’s attitude had not changed.”
Dong-A Ilbo on the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“Our survey shows that experts rated current Korea-Japan relations at the worst rating of 3.85 out of 10”
Kyunghyang Shinmun on the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“President Park’s March 1st memorial speech and relevant behaviors show that this year’s March 1st did not serve as a stimulus for peace on the Korean peninsula.”
The Hankyoreh on the day after the day after President Park Geun-hye’s March 1st Independence Movement Day Memorial Event Speech in 2015
“President Park’s attitude toward Japan is not wrong at a principle level, but from a practical perspective it is frustrating to see how she will apply those principles”
-- 1:50 --
While the media largely reflected similar historical perceptions until March 2015, they began to visibly grow divided since December 2015. On December 28, 2015, the ministers of foreign affairs of Japan and Korea announced an agreement on the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.
KBS: “Korea and Japan have reached an agreement for the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.”
SBS: “At their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two countries finally reached a compromise regarding the “comfort women” issue, which was their greatest diplomatic challenge.”
Yonhap: “Finally, after 24 years, Korea and Japan settled the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.”
-- 2:13 --
Was the Korea-Japan “comfort women” agreement settled in December 2015? And what about the media that forgot the “victims’ voice”?
On the morning newspapers from December 28, 2015, which was written before the agreement was reached, all five newspapers expressed hope for an “innovative solution” that would satisfy both parties, wariness of Japan’s use of the media, and concern over an “insufficient agreement.”
The five newspapers’ headlines on the day of the agreement:
Chosun Ilbo: Would Japan, Korea find a breakthrough with “neutral rhetoric” surrounding “comfort women” legal responsibility
JoongAng Daily: To not lose the fight, Lee Sang-duk does not dye his white hair
Dong-A Ilbo: President Park’s concerns: “an insufficient agreement would draw backlash”
Kyunghyang Shinmun: Rapid waves of solving “Japanese government’s legal responsibility” in the “comfort women” issue
The Hankyoreh: Korea, Japan rush to “find an innovative solution to the ‘comfort women’ issue”
-- 2:53 --
What about media coverage on the day after the agreement?
All five newspapers expressed concern and welcome.
This settlement is not legally binding.
It became the “final resolution.”
It contradicts the sentiment among victim-survivors, civic groups, and the general public.
The Japanese government officially admitted to responsibility in mobilizing “comfort women” for the first time.
It promised to financially support the victim-survivors through the Japanese government budget.
The two nations resolved the largest diplomatic issue for the first time in 24 years and created a new foundation for relations between the two countries moving forward
-- 3:24 --
But of course, their emphases were different.
Let’s compare The Hankyoreh and JoongAng Daily’s reports from the following day. The Hankyoreh most strongly criticized the agreement.
The Hankyoreh editorial on the day after the 2015 “comfort women” agreement (2015.12.29)
In its editorial, The Hankyoreh stressed that the issue cannot be resolved without legal responsibility and urged further discussion.
JoongAng Daily editorial on the day after the 2015 “comfort women” agreement (2015.12.29)
JoongAng Daily primarily expressed concern about the controversies that may arise following the agreement. It referred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ claim that the agreement was the best outcome that could be achieved, and ended the editorial with a hopeful offer.
The Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, founded to carry out the Korea-Japan “comfort women” agreement, announced its establishment on July 28, 2016, by hosting the “Reconciliation and Healing Foundation office sign unveiling ceremony” and the “Reconciliation and Healing Foundation press conference.” At this press conference, two incidents took place:
(Yonhap News)
“A foundation supporting the ‘comfort women’ victims was officially launched yesterday”
(YTN)
“After the press conference about the foundation’s launching, Chairman Kim Tae-hyun of the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation was attacked with capsaicin. As she was stepping outside after finishing the foundation’s launching ceremony and press conference in a building in Jung-gu, Seoul, a man in his 30s ran up to Chairman Kim and sprayed self-defense capsaicin on her face.
(SBS)
“The Korean Council and other civic groups held a protest demanding the Japanese government’s official apology and legal reparations. Around 20 college students intruded the press conference by surprise and were arrested by the police.”
The launch of the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation led to the division of
Chosun, JoongAng, Dong-A vs. Hankyoreh, Kyunghyang
-- 4:52 --
The next day, Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Daily only reported the fact that Chairman Kim Tae-hyun had been attacked with capsaicin.
Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Daily’s reports on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
(Headline) “Capsaicin sprayed onto ‘Comfort Women Foundation’ on the first day of launching”
JoongAng Daily in particular placed this report on its front page.
JoongAng Daily’s only articles related to the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation on this date were the front page photo and a subsequent article on page 10.
Dong-A Ilbo’s reports on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
Dong-A Ilbo reported that the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation held its sign unveiling ceremony and delivered the information that discussions were still underway on how to use the 1 billion yen. It also reported that there were various opinions regarding the foundation’s launching. It used terms like “sudden intrusion” or “capsaicin attack” to describe the occurrences at the press conference.
In coverage by Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Daily, and Dong-A Ilbo, there were no mentions of the victims’ voices regarding the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, nor were there any voices criticizing the foundation’s reckless launching. Instead, they characterized only the incidents at the press conference as “reckless acts” or “terror,” making it seem as though there were only radical voices that were critical of improving Korea-Japan relations.
-- 6:09 --
Reports by The Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang Shinmun were different.
The Hankyoreh’s reports on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
The Hankyoreh pointed out in detail how the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation is more regressive than the “Asian Women’s Fund” that was founded in 1995 and failed.
Kyunghyang Shinmun’s on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
Kyunghyang Shinmun criticized the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation’s lack of specific program details or plans.
The Hankyoreh’s reports on the day after the launch of Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (2016.7.29)
Furthermore, both the Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang Shinmun relayed critical voices of victim-survivors such as Kim Bok-Dong and civic groups such as the Korean Council.
(Headline 6:34) The Korean Council says “government turns its back against victims’ cries… who is this foundation for”
-- 6:37 --
2020: Let’s return to the “victims’ voice” for resolution
Kim Hak-soon’s first testimony (1991.8.14)
“It was just despicable. When those massive soldiers would forcefully come at us, I was in such disbelief I would constantly bite my lip and try to run away. But then I would get caught and dragged back to be raped again. I was so horrified and heartbroken that I could not say a word. I tell myself all the time, ‘don’t think about those days.’ But when I do, I don’t know what to do.”
When Kim Hak-soon gave her first testimony on August 14, 1991, every media channel shared her voice in their newspapers.
Chosun Ilbo: Given Kim’s testimony, we believe the Japanese government should officially apologize and pay reparations for the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. In addition, the Korean government should actively provide support through initiatives such as building memorials for victims who have been hidden in the shadows of history.
JoongAng Daily: The fact that they have not even provided a formal apology, let alone reparations, proves how cunning and shameless they are.
… It’s not too late. “Comfort women” victims have overcome major hardships in their lives and have transcended honor and disgrace. For the sake of historical record, we must document their testimonies.
-- 7:34 --
These media channels are giving completely different stories in less than 30 years. What changed their perspectives?
Of course, much has changed over the last 30 years.
Korea developed economically.
Politically, a democratic administration came into place
And the voices of civil society calling for resolution of the “comfort women” issue have grown louder.
Japan’s administration changed, too.
And the international state of affairs shifted as well.
But does that mean the directions and methods for resolving the Japanese military “comfort women” issue should change as well?
The aspect of media coverage that seems to have changed the most is the presence or absence of “victims’ perspective.”
This change is shaped by whether we approach the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue through the lens of victims’ perspective.
It is inherently unreasonable to try to resolve an issue concerning victims without those victims’ voices.
The media must return to the victims’ voices.
-- 8:27 --
We must continue to demand that Japan provide a genuine and official apology and legal reparations, as well as education that builds correct historical awareness for its future generations.
Peace activist and women’s rights activist Kim Bok Dong left us this will:
“Please fight until the end for the resolution of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue. Please keep supporting students of Korean ethnic schools in Japan for me.” - Kim Bok Dong
Translator: E Ju Ro
Video source: Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media