President Lee: 'I Will Take Responsibility to Fully Restore the Honor of Comfort Women Victims'

Marking the Memorial Day for Comfort Women Victims of the Japanese Military, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "I will take responsibility to the end so that the honor and dignity of each and every victim are fully restored."

In a congratulatory message read on his behalf by Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik at a memorial ceremony held at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, President Lee stated, "Even to this day, anti-human rights acts that deny history or defame the victims continue to take place."

Regarding the first public testimony of the late Kim Hak-sun, which served as a catalyst for bringing the comfort women issue to light, President Lee said, "Because she shared memories that were too difficult to even recall with the world, we were able to engrave in our hearts the conclusion that we must not turn away from history and must not repeat the same tragedy."

He went on to emphasize, "Carrying on that meaning and passing down the values of human rights and peace to the next generation is the responsibility of all of us living today," adding, "Remembering the truth, protecting the dignity of the victims, and creating a world where such a tragedy is never repeated is the greatest expression of respect that we, living today, can offer."

In addition, he stated, "To remember the history of wartime sexual violence, including the Japanese military comfort women issue, and to spread the values of human rights and peace together with the international community, we will establish the Women's Human Rights and Peace Foundation and play a central role in leading solidarity and cooperation in the Asian region."

Prior to reading the congratulatory message, Chief of Staff Kang also promised, "Grandmother Lee Yong-soo has previously expressed a desire to meet the President, and I told her today that we will arrange a meeting as circumstances permit," adding, "We will prepare for it in the near future."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.