A project is underway to translate into English the testimonies of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan in the early part of the 20th century.

The project, conducted by a team of professional translators and a foreign editor, began in December last year as part of efforts to bring more international attention to the issue.

The group is currently translating the testimonies of Kim Bok-dong and nine other victims. So far, six of the 234 testimonies collected since 1991 have been translated. In addition, the process of summarizing the life stories of 30 concerned individuals has been completed.

The team is also working on memoirs of soldiers from the relevant period, along with terms used at the time to convey the situation more accurately.

Once completed, the records will be posted on the websites of various organizations including universities and the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.

The documents will also be published as a book, and the related organizations are in talks with publishers in the U.S. and the U.K.

According to the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, there are no other complete translations of the victims’ testimonies.

More than 200,000 women from Korea and other regions occupied by Japan during the first half of the 20th century are thought to have been forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese government, however, has not formally apologized for its involvement in the atrocity.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)