The following are comments and opinions are worthy of being noted the author has come across while searching throuth the Internet.They are worth your thought for more understanding of the Comfort Women Issue.
No.12
Hypocrisy on Display in Brookhaven, Georgia
Who would think that Brookhaven, Georgia would be the center of a diplomatic dispute between Japan and South Korea? But they are.
Brookhaven has decided to take a stand against the sexual exploitation of women by erecting a statue to honor “comfort women” who were exploited during World War II. This town is the venue for the statue, because the town has a large Korean population and they wanted to use the city’s agreement to erect a statue to embarrass the Japanese government and Japanese people living in the area. This issue has caused great diplomatic problems between South Korea and Japan.
The facts of the exploitation are in dispute. According to a New York Times report from earlier this year “The issue of the women has been one of the most emotional disputes between South Korea and Japan. Historians say that at least tens of thousands of women, many of them Korean, were in the brothels from the early 1930s until 1945. A total of 238 women have come forward in South Korea, but fewer than 40 are still living, all of them in their 80s and 90s.” This seems like an unnecessary monument for a town in Georgia.
When you think about the exploitation of women as a national issue, it is a very important issue. Exploitation happens with sex trafficking here in the United States today. Yet, this statue seems like a special interest push by Korean people living in Georgia who want to use this exhibit to educate Americans about a World War II era problem. Most Georgians would rather see a statue that hits more close to home.
Brookhaven is the home to many Korean-Americans, yet the city seems like the wrong venue for this type of memorial because of this city’s history. The city does not come to this controversy with clean hands.
A town near Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, was home to a man who was arrested for allegedly engaging in human trafficking. The man was tried and accused of recruiting women from a strip club called the Pink Pony, a strip club right in Brookhaven, then imprisoning them and forcing them into the sex trade. The defendant argued that the women were working for him under their own free will. No matter who you believe, many would consider the strip club and the possibility of sex for hire workers in the area to be exploitation that hits closer to home than “comfort women” from WWII.
The town of Brookhaven sees fit to put up a statue to honor women who were sexually abused and exploited in Korea, yet they have cut a special deal with this club to operate in Brookhaven. Ironically, the city has a ban on strip clubs, yet they have made an exception for this club. Brookhaven is trying to erect statues focusing on historical issues relating to women, at the same time what about the human rights of the women in the local community?
Korean interests in the city pressured the city to become “the first city in the Deep South to memorialize the ‘comfort women’ - women and girls who were enslaved and sexually trafficked by the Japanese Army during World War II.” Where is the monument to Brookhaven’s comfort women? The hypocrisy is thick.
Between the diplomatic problems this may cause, the conflict between individual Korean and Japanese citizens and the fact that the monument does not speak to exploitation that has happened in the city of Brookhaven ? this seems like a bad idea.
Commentary of "Daily Surge" on Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Brookhaven, GA
No.11
There are a number of problems with the “comfort woman” statue, a few of which I list here.
- The statue is not proper to a monument. Monuments commemorate, but, by the author’s own admission, the memory of the events in question are far from clear. Numerical estimates alone vary by at least a factor of ten (again, by the author’s own admission). It is morally wrong to erect monuments which do not commemorate. Monuments grounded in speculation can be for no other purpose than to propagandize.
- The statue purports to pay tribute to Korean heritage, but it does the opposite. The legacy of comfort women activism (which is fundamentally different from the actual history of the comfort women) is that it portrays Koreans as weak, even impotent, in the face of what, if true, would be grave injustices. Why not search the historical records for brave men who resisted the “forced recruitment by the Japanese military”? If these men exist, they should be lauded as national heroes. The “comfort woman” statue, as it is, tacitly indicts Koreans as cowardly.
- The statue purports to enhance Korean standing overseas, but it does the opposite. Ethnic diasporas almost always erect statues of great figures. Chinatowns often have bronze Confuciuses or Sun Yatsens, for example. This projects a sense of greatness of the culture which produced them. But erecting statues clearly designed to evoke sympathy risks being seen as playing the victim and manipulating emotions.
- The statue is not innocent of ulterior political motives. Holocaust museums are not anti-Germany museums. However, “comfort woman” statues cannot be separated from the anti-Japanism rampant in South Korea. I spent a happy year in South Korea but was shocked by the depth of hatred for Japan. It caused me to distrust Korea’s version of history, as it was painfully distorted by disregard for another country. The author says that Koreans readily forgive; it has been more than 70 years since Japan left, but the historical record shows that Koreans’ dislike for Japan has only grown since then (and despite countless apologies). The “comfort woman” statues export this disregard to other, unrelated places under the cover of concern for human rights. This is wrong.
- The statue is poorly timed. The focus by South Koreans on a dubious comfort woman past makes Koreans seem geopolitically tone-deaf. Many around the world wonder whether South Korea notices the existential threat across its northern border. As a mad dictator launches missile after missile over South Koreans’ heads, South Koreans harm the Japan-US-South Korea alliance with bitterness over the past. Why not a statue commemorating South Koreans’ and Americans’ shared sacrifices in the Korean War? If the purpose of the statues is to improve Korean-American relations, then the “comfort woman” theme seems designed to do the opposite.
Jason Morgan on Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Brookhaven, GA
No.10
I have studied this issue for over 15 years looking into every primary source in Korean and Japanese, and I can assure you that the Korean activists’ narrative is false. The South Korean activist group Chong Dae Hyup (Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery) is closely related to North Korea. For example,
- Yun Mi-Hyang (Chairwoman) was investigated for working with North Korea in 2013.
- Kim Sam-Suk (Yun Mi-Hyang’s husband) was arrested as a North Korean spy in 1993.
- Kim Eun-Ju (Kim Sam-Suk’s sister) was arrested as a North Korean spy in 1993.
- Choi Gi-Yong (Kim Eun-Ju’s husband) was arrested as a North Korean spy in 2006.
- Lee Seok-Gi (member) was arrested as a North Korean spy in 2013.
Westerners must realize that North Korean operatives are using the comfort women issue to drive a wedge into U.S.-Japan-South Korea security partnership.
The U.S. military interrogated hundreds of Korean POWs who belonged to the Japanese Army. They frequented comfort stations, and the following was what they said about Korean comfort women.
“All Korean prostitutes that POWs have seen were volunteers or had been sold by their parents into prostitution. This is proper in the Korean way of thinking, but direct conscription of women by the Japanese would be an outrage that the old and young alike would not tolerate. Men would rise up in a rage, killing Japanese no matter what consequence they might suffer.”
Who would know this issue better than those who actually used comfort stations?
Let me also remind you that at least half of the policemen were Korean. What were they doing? Did they just watch the Japanese take Korean women?
As a history student I interviewed dozens of Koreans who were born and raised in the Korean Peninsula in the 1920’s and 1930’s including my grandparents about comfort women.
According to what they witnessed, most Korean women were sold by their parents to Korean comfort station owners. There were also some women who were deceived by Korean traffickers. They never witnessed any Korean women coerced by the Japanese.
Korean men, who had debts from alcohol, gambling and so on, sold their daughters to Korean comfort station owners who shouldered their debts. Each woman’s contract length was determined depending on the amount of debt the owner took over. Korean women were not allowed to leave until their debts were paid off. Any coercion, violence or confinement was exercised by Korean comfort station owners. So the Korean women were the sex slaves of Korean comfort station owners. They were not the sex slaves of the Japanese military. The common perception in the West that the Japanese military operated comfort stations is incorrect.
I’m sure you are aware that South Korea has used comfort women in Vietnam. If the statue mentioned the atrocities the South Korean Army committed in Vietnam, I would be more sympathetic to the Korean group’s activities, but they refuse to acknowledge their own atrocities, which makes this statue a symbol of anti-Japanese hate.
In wars, soldiers sometimes rape innocent women. To prevent this from happening, the Japanese military asked businessmen to recruit prostitutes and operate comfort stations (brothels). The Japanese military sent orders to comfort station operators not to recruit women against thier will. Japanese businessmen followed the order and only recruited willing women in Japan. But Korean businessmen recruited both willing prostitutes and unwilling women in Korea. This is why some of former Korean comfort women are still unhappy while we hear little or no complaint from former Japanese comfort women. If Korean comfort station owners had followed the Japanese military’s order, there wouldn’t have been any comfort women issue.
The Japanese military was partly guilty because its invasion into China and Southeast Asia did create the demand for comfort women. But the Korean narrative - the Japanese military showed up at the doors and abducted young Korean women - just didn’t happen. The Korean businessmen (comfort station owners) capitalized on the demand, recruited Korean women, operated comfort stations and made lots of money. Japan has apologized for its part. South Korea should admit its complicity and stop demanding Japan for more apologies.
H.S. on Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Brookhaven, GA
No.9
After Brookhaven erects the comfort woman statue they should erect statues to honor:
I’ll stop here so Brookhaven Park will be left with a smidgen of lawn here and there.
- The thousands of Vietnamese women raped by South Korean soldiers during the Vietnam War
- The thousands of children of Vietnamese and Korean heritage born to and abandoned by South Korean soldiers
- The thousands of South Korean women pressed into sexual service during the Korean War by the South Korean government to serve Korean and American soldiers
- The thousands of child prostitutes in Southeast Asia patronized mainly by South Korean men
- The poor elderly Korean grandmothers “Bacchus Ladies” who sell drinks and sex on the street and in parks
- The Filipino and other Southeast Asian girls and women who are trafficked into South Korea to provide sex to South Korean men
- The Korean women who are trafficked out of South Korea to the US, Australia, Japan, and other countries.
B.H. on Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Brookhaven, GA
No.8
When I first learned of the comfort women, I believed that Japan was trying to cover up the facts. But, because of the seriousness of the allegations, I started to look into the matter like a detective, tracing back the sources of the information.
I was shocked to learn that much of what we've heard about the comfort women is probably not true! Prof. C. Sarah Soh's book is an eye-opener! She interviewed former Korean comfort women, and those she talked to originally said that they were not forced by the Japanese soldiers directly. These are quotes! Korean women joined on their own or were "sold" by their families because they were so poor! Many were tricked by civilians, including Koreans!
There are anti-Japanese groups in Korea who seem to hate Japan, and their narrative has co-opted the internet, media, government agencies, and even the U.N!
I can't tell you how angry I am that people are spreading misleading rumors to elicit hate toward Japanese. If you are a truth-valuing American, I suggest you to read Prof. Soh's book.
I was even more appalled when I learned what Korean soldiers did to Vietnamese civilians during the Vietnam War! The atrocities by S. Korean soldiers need to be acknowledged and told!
S.S on Rejection of Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Atlanta, GA
No.7
This is all a scam. I have personally researched this scam in 11 countries, including two trips to Korea so far. Also to China, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, USA, Thailand…and others. This is part of a gigantic information operation designed to split ROK, USA, Japan. It is working with ROK and Japan. The ultimate target is USA. This statue is nothing more than information war landing in the backyards of Americans, trying to create animosity against Japanese to split us apart.
The ultimate target is the USA. Our team has discovered this after much research. One aspect of the plan is to demand that Japan publicly take full responsibility for massive ‘sex-slavery’ that did not happen. They had the ianfu/ianjo system, that is true, but they were well paid prostitutes and it was legal at the time. USA did same in Honolulu on Hotel Street, etc., and after the Korean war the USA and Korea colluded in keeping our boys happy.
Part of the plan includes getting the USA to loudly accuse and declare Japan conducted this crime, and then later to accuse the USA of the same and declare we be consistent and pay up, and accuse ourselves of same.
The prostitute system did exist. Nobody denies this. But no serious military person or serious historian believes that 200,000-400,000 sex-slaves were kidnapped and kept secret for 40 years. Ludicrous.
Michael Yon on Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Brookhaven, GA
No.6
The facts are clear: The US, UK, Dutch, and other governments investigated this as a crime both during and immediately after the war and found only one incident against Dutch women, but that was an individual group violating the comfort women system, and as the Dutch trial pointed out; it was not the system itself. All the government investigations were clear: The comfort women were well paid volunteers under civilian contract to the military.
Most brothels were owned by Koreans that employed Korean women.
The sytem existed after the war arguably until the mid 1990s and the US Military has now been accused of having sex slaves by the same groups but they won't put that on a statue in Georgia for now.
Subject:Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Brookhaven, GA
No.5
During the public portion of the Brookhaven City Council meeting two people spoke in favor the placing that statue claiming in part it was not “Japan bashing.” I am sorry to disagree with these two well intentioned persons. This proposed Comfort Women statue only memorializes women servicing the Japanese military during and prior to the start of World War Two. While at the same time ignoring the women pressed into Comfort Service by the South Korean military for the U.S. military over about a forty year period. From around 1950 to around 1990, and a lawsuit currently is pending. Also ignores the Comfort Women pressed into service by South Korean troops for South Korean troops in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
By claiming empathy of the Comfort Women who were in the service for the Japanese military while ignoring the two aforementioned Comfort Women groups can reasonably be assessed as Japan bashing.
I am not writing should not allow this statue, just requesting in the statues inscription include the other two ignored Comfort Women groups. By doing so it will demonstrate to the nation and people of Japan your concern for all women who served as Comfort Women in the Asian theater prior to 1990. It will also demonstrate the sincerity of the two people who spoke at the City Council meeting stating it was not “Japan bashing.”
Subject::Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Brookhaven, GA
No.4
It’s obvious that this action is just intend to contempt Japan and effort to make a conflict. If the Kelly Ahn’s insist (not intended to make country bashing but honoring the brave lives of the women and girls) were true, They should build a statue of “Lai Dai Han” problem in Vietnam, which was a serious human rights violation committed by military of Korea while Vietnam Wars .
“Lai Dai Han” problem is supported by a lot of objective evidence and appropriate to handle for Korean people in US. However they keep ignoring this human rights violation and only focusing on “Comfort Women” problem.
Koreans are deceiving the people in US.
Subject::Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Brookhaven, GA
No.3
If San Francisco is really serious about dealing fairly with the wartime comfort women issue, it must include the U.S. soldiers activities with Korean comfort women during the Korean War, too. San Francisco must not forget also Vietnamese comfort women raped and killed by Korean soldiers during Vietnam War. I strongly urge San Francisco to repeal the resolution on September 21, 2015 soon, to show the world that the honorable city is not poisoned and bribed by the Korean and Chinese lobbies. Subject:Decision of San Francisco to erect a comfort women statue in te city.
No.2
Questions which Korean nationalists cannot answer 1) Where is undeniable evidence or official document that Japan had kidnapped 200,000?
2) What were Korean men doing while those Korean women were being kidnapped?
3) Why 800,000 Korean men volunteered Japanese Imperial Troops during WW2?
4) What didn’t the Allies execute Japanese soldiers for Korean comfort women despite they investigated and interviewed Korean comfort women directly during WW2?
5) How can you Koreans deny "Japanese Prisoner of War Interrogation Report No. 49" What evidence do you have?
6) Biggest Question : Why did you South Koreans have the exact same comfort women during the Korean War? And why did Koreans call their own women "慰安婦(=comfort women)" in Japanese term?
7) Why did Koreans ignore the fact that Park Chung-hee (the President Geun-hye’s father) had operated comfort stations?
8) Why didn’t South Korean government issue the comfort women nor ask the compensation about them when Japan and South Korea signed the treaty of 1965? Both nations confirmed all problems were settled completely.
9) How can you Koreans keep lying and demanding money despite those comfort women had already lost in the supreme court of US, Japan and the Philippines?
No.1
The girl’s statue has NOTHING to do with human trafficking whatsoever. It has been creating division, conflict, hatred, corruption, unnecessary media attention, and all other trash to not only community-level, but also nation-wide, even international level instead of healing, peace, and hope.
Moreover, the narrative of “Comfort Women” is completely fraud. There are tons of tons of physical evidence to show that those women were paid prostitutes. On the other hand, “Comfort Women” fraud promoters are solely relying on alleged victims’ shaky statements, and have never presented any physical evidence
One of the real purposes of the statue is to divide relationship between Japan and Korea, the US and Japan, so that Red China will be able to concur the Pacific freely.
Don’t be fooled by the propaganda.
Get yourself educated. Use common sense.
Subject:Installation of the Comfort Women Memorial at Brookhaven, GA
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