Korean comfort women in the 21st century
Korean comfort women, as the Japanese refer to them, suffered sex enslavement during World War II, but their plight continues to influence Korean-Japanese politics.
Kidnapped, Forced into Sex Slavery
During World War II, Japanese soldiers forced young women into sex slavery, kidnapping them off the streets. Women from China, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines were taken and relocated to brothels, called comfort stations by the Japanese Army. One such woman, Lee Ok-Seon, kidnapped at aged 14, described the daily treatment the 11 to 14-year-old girls received: “We were often beaten, threatened and attacked with knives.” They were also raped daily, as she told the Deutsche Welle.
Ok-Seong is one of many Korean comfort women who came forward during the 21st century to talk about their experiences. Although no exact number exists, the involved governments estimate that the Japanese abducted about 200,000 women for the brothels, or comfort stations. About 50 … Read more