On July 19, the Korean Council joined the Peace Culture Festival to Stop the Demolition of Dongducheon’s Old STD Management Center, held at 3 p.m. in the parking lot in front of the protest site near Soyosan.
The event featured solidarity remarks by Banghak, an activist from the Korean Council, along with collective art-making such as painting a large peace banner, installing flags, and cultural performances.
The Korean Council is a member of the Joint Committee Against the Demolition of the Old STD Management Center and reaffirmed its commitment to stand with the movement for women’s human rights and peace until the end.
Solidarity Speech by Banghak, Activist of the Korean Council
Hello everyone, I'm Banghak, and I have been working as a full-time activist at the Korean Council for nearly three years. Before beginning, I would like to share my story.
I did not begin my movement with the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. In fact, my starting point was the issue of kijichon women — women exploited as U.S. military “comfort women” around U.S. bases in Korea. I originally studied contemporary art, and when I entered university, young people around me were actively discussing feminism in the context of the #MeToo movement. I was one of them.
But, to my shame, I knew very little about Korea’s modern history — the colonial era, the Korean War, and the 'herstory' of those who endured those times. While working on an art project on bodily autonomy, I began to study with colleagues, and that was when I read Katherine Moon’s book Sex Among Allies.
Before reading it, I understood the kijichon issue only as a story of one-sided exploitation of women in a weak nation by Western imperial powers. But through this book, I came to realize that it was not just a matter of foreign exploitation, but also a case of state violence and exploitation by the Korean government itself. Even today, the legacies of this state violence continue: the government owns land in red-light districts and profits from it. In this way, state-managed sexual exploitation is not only a historical issue but also a current and universal women’s human rights issue.
This made me wonder why these issues remain unresolved, and as I traced them back, I arrived at the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. That was how I began my activities with the Korean Council.
I want to take this moment to express my deep respect to the kijichon women who have courageously shared their stories, to those who continue to be here in solidarity, and to the senior activists whose efforts made it possible for these questions and memories to pass on to me.
My introduction was long, but it is an important one. Just as I came to understand this issue as part of women’s history and as a human rights issue, the historical fact that the state once controlled and exploited women’s bodies must be confronted directly. For this reason, the Old STD Management Center in Dongducheon must be preserved.
As many of you know better than I, the preservation of this site has already drawn great interest and solidarity, especially among younger generations and women. While Dongducheon city officials and others dismiss the site as a “shameful history,” an “abomination,” or “economically useless,” many young people and women now see it naturally as a place that represents women’s rights and women’s history. Ironically, that very dismissal is the strongest reason why this space must be preserved and transformed into a place of education.
I would also like to share an example. Near Hongdae, Seoul, the Korean Council operates the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum. Surprisingly, every year, more international visitors come than Korean visitors. As someone responsible for English education programs there, I always bring up the issues of kijichon women, U.S. military “comfort women,” and camptowns. These are the issues that visitors ask about the most. Global citizens are more aware and prepared to acknowledge their countries’ war crimes and state violence than we might expect.
Therefore, the city of Dongducheon must listen to the voices calling for preservation. This site, if protected, can serve as a starting point for passing memory on to future generations, forever — a space where peace and women’s human rights can be discussed. I sincerely hope Dongducheon will take the lead in this effort.
Lastly, I want to share the words on the shirt I am wearing today: “Peace is the Future!” I will continue to remember, to stand with all of you, and to work toward building peace together. Thank you.
On July 19, the Korean Council joined the Peace Culture Festival to Stop the Demolition of Dongducheon’s Old STD Management Center, held at 3 p.m. in the parking lot in front of the protest site near Soyosan.
The event featured solidarity remarks by Banghak, an activist from the Korean Council, along with collective art-making such as painting a large peace banner, installing flags, and cultural performances.
The Korean Council is a member of the Joint Committee Against the Demolition of the Old STD Management Center and reaffirmed its commitment to stand with the movement for women’s human rights and peace until the end.
Solidarity Speech by Banghak, Activist of the Korean Council
Hello everyone, I'm Banghak, and I have been working as a full-time activist at the Korean Council for nearly three years. Before beginning, I would like to share my story.
I did not begin my movement with the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. In fact, my starting point was the issue of kijichon women — women exploited as U.S. military “comfort women” around U.S. bases in Korea. I originally studied contemporary art, and when I entered university, young people around me were actively discussing feminism in the context of the #MeToo movement. I was one of them.
But, to my shame, I knew very little about Korea’s modern history — the colonial era, the Korean War, and the 'herstory' of those who endured those times. While working on an art project on bodily autonomy, I began to study with colleagues, and that was when I read Katherine Moon’s book Sex Among Allies.
Before reading it, I understood the kijichon issue only as a story of one-sided exploitation of women in a weak nation by Western imperial powers. But through this book, I came to realize that it was not just a matter of foreign exploitation, but also a case of state violence and exploitation by the Korean government itself. Even today, the legacies of this state violence continue: the government owns land in red-light districts and profits from it. In this way, state-managed sexual exploitation is not only a historical issue but also a current and universal women’s human rights issue.
This made me wonder why these issues remain unresolved, and as I traced them back, I arrived at the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. That was how I began my activities with the Korean Council.
I want to take this moment to express my deep respect to the kijichon women who have courageously shared their stories, to those who continue to be here in solidarity, and to the senior activists whose efforts made it possible for these questions and memories to pass on to me.
My introduction was long, but it is an important one. Just as I came to understand this issue as part of women’s history and as a human rights issue, the historical fact that the state once controlled and exploited women’s bodies must be confronted directly. For this reason, the Old STD Management Center in Dongducheon must be preserved.
As many of you know better than I, the preservation of this site has already drawn great interest and solidarity, especially among younger generations and women. While Dongducheon city officials and others dismiss the site as a “shameful history,” an “abomination,” or “economically useless,” many young people and women now see it naturally as a place that represents women’s rights and women’s history. Ironically, that very dismissal is the strongest reason why this space must be preserved and transformed into a place of education.
I would also like to share an example. Near Hongdae, Seoul, the Korean Council operates the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum. Surprisingly, every year, more international visitors come than Korean visitors. As someone responsible for English education programs there, I always bring up the issues of kijichon women, U.S. military “comfort women,” and camptowns. These are the issues that visitors ask about the most. Global citizens are more aware and prepared to acknowledge their countries’ war crimes and state violence than we might expect.
Therefore, the city of Dongducheon must listen to the voices calling for preservation. This site, if protected, can serve as a starting point for passing memory on to future generations, forever — a space where peace and women’s human rights can be discussed. I sincerely hope Dongducheon will take the lead in this effort.
Lastly, I want to share the words on the shirt I am wearing today: “Peace is the Future!” I will continue to remember, to stand with all of you, and to work toward building peace together. Thank you.