Global Action Plan for Organisation (Click Here!)
13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women”
✨Our Hope Ignites in Your Light✨
August 14, 2025 marks the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women.”
In 1991, Kim Hak-Soon became living proof by standing in front of perpetrators who denied their crimes, claiming there was no evidence.Her voice awakened countless victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery across the Asia-Pacific and reverberated throughout the world, connecting into a powerful chain of solidarity and hope for change.
To commemorate Kim Hak-Soon’s first public testimony, the 11th Asian Solidarity Conference in 2012 designated 14 August as the International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women.” It is to honor the strength and courage of the victim-survivors, who not only fought for an official apology and legal reparations from the Japanese government but also laid the foundation for international human rights norms on sexual violence in conflict.
This year, in commemoration of the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women,” the Korean Council is organising a series of events under the theme “Our Hope Ignites in Your Light." This message conveys the hope that the light of the victim-survivors, who courageously testified the truth about the Japanese military sexual slavery to the world, will shine in the hearts of all, guiding us to build a peaceful world free from war.
▶ View the Full Concept
34 years ago, Kim Hak-Soon, who survived the war and endured a life as harrowing as war itself, broke the silence with unimaginable courage. In the unresolved shadows of colonialism and entrenched patriarchy, the light she sparked became a beacon of hope for victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery across the globe.
One by one, survivors stood beside Kim Hak-Soon, raising their voices in solidarity. Their testimonies offered messages of hope to women around the world who have suffered similar traumas.
Their courage rejected war and the violence of daily life, and reminded us all that a more respectful, safer, and more equal world is possible.
However, the world today is marred by war and conflict, with countless lives being lost. In Palestine, the land where people once peacefully cultivated olives has become a battlefield, as the Israeli military continues its massacres and territorial expansion. Ukraine’s vast wheat fields are stained with blood, and the number of victims of wartime sexual violence is immeasurable.
Countries that claim to be “advanced capitalist democracies,” led by the United States, supply weapons and resources to regions of conflict. Japan, abandoning its post-war Peace Constitution, is growing increasingly emboldened in its ambitions for remilitarization.
Even Republic of Korea, now marking the 80th anniversary of its liberation from colonial rule, remains shackled by the legacy of colonization and the Cold War division. Former President Yoon Suk-Yeol has exploited these shadows of history to incite rebellion and collude with foreign powers.
Even outside the battlefield, the daily lives are no different from war. People die while working, suffer from sexual and domestic violence, and are marginalized because of their gender or sexual orientation. Differences such as race, nationality, disability, and age become grounds for discrimination, placing lives and livelihoods in constant jeopardy.
Those who oppose laws that prohibit discrimination raise their voices in hatred against the socially vulnerable and marginalized. They distort historical justice, insult victims, and attack those who seek to uphold the truth. Around the world, democracy is under threat from the rise and normalization of far-right forces, while predatory neoliberal systems continue to devastate the lives of countless people.
However, the light passed on by the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery has not been extinguished. It has spread to the hearts of people around the world, creating a powerful wave of solidarity. The victims’ hope for a world without war became the Butterfly Fund, serving as a beacon for other survivors in different countries. The Wednesday Demonstration became an open learning space for history and human rights, shining brightly through cross-border solidarity. Citizens who became lights themselves illuminated the squares with voices of resistance, ushering in new lights of justice and dispelling the darkness of the world. The impeachment of Yoon Suk-Yeol and the defense of democracy in the Republic of Korea were made possible by the solidarity of light. Amid all this, the Wednesday Demonstration for the International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women” and the Butterfly Festival now mark their 13th anniversary.
Our unity will continue to shine ever more brightly, lighting the path forward toward equality, peace, democracy, and human rights.
What kinds of events are planned for
the 13th International Memorial Day
for Japanese Military “Comfort Women?”
1. Wednesday Demonstration for the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women”💪
On August 13, 2025, in commemoration of the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanse Military “Comfort Women”, we will hold a Wednesday Demonstration to join voices with citizens around the world in calling for a just resolution to the Japanese military sexual slavery issue.
We remember the victim-survivors who became a beacon of hope by courageously testified the truth about the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. Let us ignite that light brighter through our solidarity, so it may shine hope across the world. We invite your active participation!
▶ See Details
- Date&Time: Wednesday, 13 August, 2025, 12:00-13:00
- Venue: In front of the Japanese Embassy, ‘Pyonghwa-ro’(The roadway next to the NTS Seoul Regional Office)
- Hosted By: The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
- Organised by: Organisations which Participated in the Global Action
- Programme
Opening Performance <Like a Rock>
Theme Video
Solidarity Speech
Solidarity Video
Cultural Performance
Statement Declaration
Light Performance
2. The Butterfly Festival 🦋
On August 14, 2025, the 13th International Memorial Day for the Japanese Military “Comfort Women,” we will hold the Butterfly Festival at Gwanghwamun in Seoul.
To ensure that the light created by the halmonis never fades and continues to shine across the world, we have prepared a rich programme of performances, videos, and artistic programmes. Prior to the main event, visitors can also enjoy a variety of interactive booths for public participation.
We invite you to join us in this cultural celebration! Let us strengthen the light of the halmonis with our solidarity, and move together toward a world where women’s rights are respected and wartime sexual violence no longer exists.
▶ See Details
- Date & Time: Thursday, 14 August, 2025, 19:00
- Venue: Open Songhyeonn Green Plaza (Anguk Station Exit 1)
- Hosted/Organaised by: The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
- Additional Events: Citizen participation booths
- Program Highlights:- Memorial Day Theme Video
- Message from a Survivor
- Solidarity Videos
- Cultural Performances
- Performances
We invite you to the Wednesday Demonstration for the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women” and Butterfly Festival so that the light ignited by halmonis never fades, but grows even stronger, and so that we may take one more step toward a peaceful world without war.
**For international NGOs and CSOs, we prepared action plans!
Please click the purple button above or this 🔗link!
Global Action Plan for Organisation (Click Here!)
13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women”
✨Our Hope Ignites in Your Light✨
August 14, 2025 marks the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women.”
In 1991, Kim Hak-Soon became living proof by standing in front of perpetrators who denied their crimes, claiming there was no evidence.Her voice awakened countless victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery across the Asia-Pacific and reverberated throughout the world, connecting into a powerful chain of solidarity and hope for change.
To commemorate Kim Hak-Soon’s first public testimony, the 11th Asian Solidarity Conference in 2012 designated 14 August as the International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women.” It is to honor the strength and courage of the victim-survivors, who not only fought for an official apology and legal reparations from the Japanese government but also laid the foundation for international human rights norms on sexual violence in conflict.
This year, in commemoration of the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women,” the Korean Council is organising a series of events under the theme “Our Hope Ignites in Your Light." This message conveys the hope that the light of the victim-survivors, who courageously testified the truth about the Japanese military sexual slavery to the world, will shine in the hearts of all, guiding us to build a peaceful world free from war.
▶ View the Full Concept
34 years ago, Kim Hak-Soon, who survived the war and endured a life as harrowing as war itself, broke the silence with unimaginable courage. In the unresolved shadows of colonialism and entrenched patriarchy, the light she sparked became a beacon of hope for victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery across the globe.
One by one, survivors stood beside Kim Hak-Soon, raising their voices in solidarity. Their testimonies offered messages of hope to women around the world who have suffered similar traumas.
Their courage rejected war and the violence of daily life, and reminded us all that a more respectful, safer, and more equal world is possible.
However, the world today is marred by war and conflict, with countless lives being lost. In Palestine, the land where people once peacefully cultivated olives has become a battlefield, as the Israeli military continues its massacres and territorial expansion. Ukraine’s vast wheat fields are stained with blood, and the number of victims of wartime sexual violence is immeasurable.
Countries that claim to be “advanced capitalist democracies,” led by the United States, supply weapons and resources to regions of conflict. Japan, abandoning its post-war Peace Constitution, is growing increasingly emboldened in its ambitions for remilitarization.
Even Republic of Korea, now marking the 80th anniversary of its liberation from colonial rule, remains shackled by the legacy of colonization and the Cold War division. Former President Yoon Suk-Yeol has exploited these shadows of history to incite rebellion and collude with foreign powers.
Even outside the battlefield, the daily lives are no different from war. People die while working, suffer from sexual and domestic violence, and are marginalized because of their gender or sexual orientation. Differences such as race, nationality, disability, and age become grounds for discrimination, placing lives and livelihoods in constant jeopardy.
Those who oppose laws that prohibit discrimination raise their voices in hatred against the socially vulnerable and marginalized. They distort historical justice, insult victims, and attack those who seek to uphold the truth. Around the world, democracy is under threat from the rise and normalization of far-right forces, while predatory neoliberal systems continue to devastate the lives of countless people.
However, the light passed on by the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery has not been extinguished. It has spread to the hearts of people around the world, creating a powerful wave of solidarity. The victims’ hope for a world without war became the Butterfly Fund, serving as a beacon for other survivors in different countries. The Wednesday Demonstration became an open learning space for history and human rights, shining brightly through cross-border solidarity. Citizens who became lights themselves illuminated the squares with voices of resistance, ushering in new lights of justice and dispelling the darkness of the world. The impeachment of Yoon Suk-Yeol and the defense of democracy in the Republic of Korea were made possible by the solidarity of light. Amid all this, the Wednesday Demonstration for the International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women” and the Butterfly Festival now mark their 13th anniversary.
Our unity will continue to shine ever more brightly, lighting the path forward toward equality, peace, democracy, and human rights.
What kinds of events are planned for
the 13th International Memorial Day
for Japanese Military “Comfort Women?”
1. Wednesday Demonstration for the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women”💪
On August 13, 2025, in commemoration of the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanse Military “Comfort Women”, we will hold a Wednesday Demonstration to join voices with citizens around the world in calling for a just resolution to the Japanese military sexual slavery issue.
We remember the victim-survivors who became a beacon of hope by courageously testified the truth about the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. Let us ignite that light brighter through our solidarity, so it may shine hope across the world. We invite your active participation!
▶ See Details
- Date&Time: Wednesday, 13 August, 2025, 12:00-13:00
- Venue: In front of the Japanese Embassy, ‘Pyonghwa-ro’(The roadway next to the NTS Seoul Regional Office)
- Hosted By: The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
- Organised by: Organisations which Participated in the Global Action
- Programme
Opening Performance <Like a Rock>
Theme Video
Solidarity Speech
Solidarity Video
Cultural Performance
Statement Declaration
Light Performance
2. The Butterfly Festival 🦋
On August 14, 2025, the 13th International Memorial Day for the Japanese Military “Comfort Women,” we will hold the Butterfly Festival at Gwanghwamun in Seoul.
To ensure that the light created by the halmonis never fades and continues to shine across the world, we have prepared a rich programme of performances, videos, and artistic programmes. Prior to the main event, visitors can also enjoy a variety of interactive booths for public participation.
We invite you to join us in this cultural celebration! Let us strengthen the light of the halmonis with our solidarity, and move together toward a world where women’s rights are respected and wartime sexual violence no longer exists.
▶ See Details
- Date & Time: Thursday, 14 August, 2025, 19:00- Venue: Open Songhyeonn Green Plaza (Anguk Station Exit 1)
- Hosted/Organaised by: The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
- Additional Events: Citizen participation booths
- Program Highlights:
We invite you to the Wednesday Demonstration for the 13th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military “Comfort Women” and Butterfly Festival so that the light ignited by halmonis never fades, but grows even stronger, and so that we may take one more step toward a peaceful world without war.
**For international NGOs and CSOs, we prepared action plans!
Please click the purple button above or this 🔗link!