A statue of a young girl symbolizing the women victimized by Japan's wartime sexual slavery. (Yonhap)
A statue of a young girl symbolizing the women victimized by Japan's wartime sexual slavery. (Yonhap)

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday condemned a recent spate of vandalism targeting memorial statues honoring victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, calling the incidents “mindless acts of defamation against the deceased.”

Lee shared a news article on X reporting that members of a far-right civic group had been defacing so-called "comfort women" statues, which symbolize women forced into sexual slavery during Japan’s colonial rule. The post included a photo showing placards placed next to a statue bearing phrases such as “hideous” and “distortion and fabrication.”

Earlier in the day, police said the Yangsan Police Station in South Gyeongsang Province had opened an investigation into four members of the group on suspicion of defamation, property damage and violations of the Assembly and Demonstration Act.

According to police, the group has carried out a provocative campaign involving the vandalism of memorial statues and protests disputing the historical record of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery. The group has claimed without evidence that the issue amounts to an “international fraud,” and staged more than 100 protests nationwide in 2024 alone.

The sexual enslavement of women from Korea and other parts of Asia by the Japanese military is widely recognized by the international community.

The issue has drawn repeated condemnation from global organizations and public figures, including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said in 2012 that the term “comfort women” was misleading and should be replaced with “enforced sex slaves.”

In response to recent incidents, several bills addressing defamation of sexual slavery victims are pending at the National Assembly. One of the latest proposals was submitted by Rep. Seo Mi-hwa of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, calling for tougher penalties including prison terms of up to seven years for defaming victims and up to three years for vandalizing commemorative statues.

Of the 240 South Korean women officially registered as victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, only six are still alive. The total number of women believed to have been victimized across Asia is estimated to be as high as 400,000.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com