A funeral ceremony is held for Lee Ok-seon, a victim of Japanese military sexual slavery, at the Shillakwon funeral hall in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
A funeral ceremony is held for Lee Ok-seon, a victim of Japanese military sexual slavery, at the Shillakwon funeral hall in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

The funeral altar for Lee Ok-seon, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery during the World World II, has been set up in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, following her passing on May 11. She was 97.

With her passing, only six registered survivors remain in South Korea out of the 240 officially recorded by the Korean government.

Born in Busan, Lee was forcibly taken at the age of 14 to frontline brothels run by the Japanese military, where she was subjected to three years of abuse until the end of the war.

She is most known for dedication to raising awareness about the atrocities committed against the so-called "comfort women." She testified at Brown University in the United States in 2002 and traveled extensively to share her story. In 2013, she undertook a tour of 12 cities in the US, Germany and Japan. Even at 90, she traveled to China to provide testimony.

Lee was also the real-life model for the "Statue of Peace" located in Gwangju, a symbol commemorating the victims of wartime sexual slavery.


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