On October 23, the International Committee for Joint Nomination (ICJN, including the Korean Council) visited the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
In 2016, 14 organizations from seven countries, including South Korea, jointly submitted an application to register the archives documenting the Japanese military sexual slavery as part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme. The Register Sub-Committee (RSC) of the Memory of the World programme evaluated the archives as “authentic and irreplaceable” historical records. However, the registration process was soon obstructed by strong opposition from the Japanese government.
Japan argued that the issue of the Japanese military “comfort women” was a bilateral matter between Japan and South Korea, deliberately politicizing the process and fomenting conflict. In addition, Japanese far-right groups submitted a counter-application seeking to register materials related to “comfort women and Japanese military discipline,” attempting to undermine and relativize the original submission.
In response, the International Advisory Committee (IAC) of the Memory of the World Programme recommended an unprecedented “dialogue” procedure between the parties involved. Yet, even ten years later, no substantive dialogue has taken place between the ICJN and the Japanese far-right groups. While the ICJN has consistently sought to engage in dialogue in good faith within UNESCO’s framework, progress has repeatedly stalled due to deliberate delays by the Japanese side and inadequate procedural management by UNESCO.
During the visit to UNESCO Headquarters, the ICJN met with UNESCO officials and formally delivered a letter of protest, expressing serious concern about UNESCO’s passive response and its lack of effective oversight. The ICJN reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing dialogue and to continuing efforts to ensure that the archives documenting the Japanese military sexual slavery are rightfully registered as part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World.
Visit to the Imperial War Museum, London
On October 24, the ICJN visited the Imperial War Museum in London for the exhibition Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict is the first major exhibition in the United Kingdom to address wartime sexual violence. The exhibition examines the nature and impact of sexual violence in war and conflict, issues that have long been silenced or insufficiently discussed, including the Japanese military sexual slavery.
The Korean Council and the War and Women’s Human Rights Archive contributed archival materials to the exhibition. Items on display include a portrait and testimony of the late Kim Bok-dong, a survivor of the Japanese military sexual slavery and women’s human rights activist; statements, photographs, placards, and materials from the Wednesday Demonstrations; and a miniature Statue of Peace provided by the Korean Council.
International Conference Held in Oxford
On October 25, an international conference titled “Memory and Responsibility in History, and the Role of the International Community” was held in Oxford, United Kingdom.
The conference was organized to reexamine the memory and documentation of wartime sexual violence, including the Japanese military “comfort women,” as a shared responsibility of humanity, and to explore ways to expand international awareness as well as institutional responses. Participants discussed how survivors’ voices can be preserved and amplified, emphasizing that documenting wartime sexual violence is not merely about confronting the past but an urgent task essential to advancing peace and human rights in the present and future.
In 2016, 14 organizations from seven countries, including South Korea, jointly submitted an application to register the archives documenting the Japanese military sexual slavery as part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme. The Register Sub-Committee (RSC) of the Memory of the World programme evaluated the archives as “authentic and irreplaceable” historical records. However, the registration process was soon obstructed by strong opposition from the Japanese government.
Japan argued that the issue of the Japanese military “comfort women” was a bilateral matter between Japan and South Korea, deliberately politicizing the process and fomenting conflict. In addition, Japanese far-right groups submitted a counter-application seeking to register materials related to “comfort women and Japanese military discipline,” attempting to undermine and relativize the original submission.
In response, the International Advisory Committee (IAC) of the Memory of the World Programme recommended an unprecedented “dialogue” procedure between the parties involved. Yet, even ten years later, no substantive dialogue has taken place between the ICJN and the Japanese far-right groups. While the ICJN has consistently sought to engage in dialogue in good faith within UNESCO’s framework, progress has repeatedly stalled due to deliberate delays by the Japanese side and inadequate procedural management by UNESCO.
During the visit to UNESCO Headquarters, the ICJN met with UNESCO officials and formally delivered a letter of protest, expressing serious concern about UNESCO’s passive response and its lack of effective oversight. The ICJN reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing dialogue and to continuing efforts to ensure that the archives documenting the Japanese military sexual slavery are rightfully registered as part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World.
Visit to the Imperial War Museum, London
On October 24, the ICJN visited the Imperial War Museum in London for the exhibition Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict is the first major exhibition in the United Kingdom to address wartime sexual violence. The exhibition examines the nature and impact of sexual violence in war and conflict, issues that have long been silenced or insufficiently discussed, including the Japanese military sexual slavery.
The Korean Council and the War and Women’s Human Rights Archive contributed archival materials to the exhibition. Items on display include a portrait and testimony of the late Kim Bok-dong, a survivor of the Japanese military sexual slavery and women’s human rights activist; statements, photographs, placards, and materials from the Wednesday Demonstrations; and a miniature Statue of Peace provided by the Korean Council.
International Conference Held in Oxford
On October 25, an international conference titled “Memory and Responsibility in History, and the Role of the International Community” was held in Oxford, United Kingdom.
The conference was organized to reexamine the memory and documentation of wartime sexual violence, including the Japanese military “comfort women,” as a shared responsibility of humanity, and to explore ways to expand international awareness as well as institutional responses. Participants discussed how survivors’ voices can be preserved and amplified, emphasizing that documenting wartime sexual violence is not merely about confronting the past but an urgent task essential to advancing peace and human rights in the present and future.