現在慰安婦決議採択5周年ということで、挺対協が元慰安婦をアメリカに送り込んでいる。現地の韓国系市民団体との連携を図っているわけだが、NYやカリフォルニアでいろいろと動いている。これは、渡米している慰安婦の一人キム・ボクトンの講演会のお知らせ（講演は既に終了）。カリフォルニア州立大学のプレスリリースなのだが、アメリカで慰安婦問題がどのように認識されているか、あるいは宣伝されているかが分かる。
少し拾ってみると、事実上の慰安婦の総数の上限である20万人説（中国人研究者によるもっと極端な説もあるにはある）が、全て朝鮮人になっている。これらの朝鮮人女性はcapture（捕まった）ことになっている。誰が捕まえたという主語がないから、日本政府か日本軍に捕まり、性奴隷制に強制（forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers）されたのが慰安婦ということである。つまり強制連行（徴用）だったと。実際には、父親から金を稼いで来いと女衒に売られたりしているのだが、アメリカではそういう風には理解されていない。
挺対協のユン・ミヒャン代表が簡単な説明を行い。その後質疑応答があった模様である。ユンがこういった誤解を訂正したとは思えないが、言うまでもなく挺対協の英語名はThe Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan（日本国により軍隊性奴隷制に徴発された女性たちの為の韓国委員会）である。質疑応答でユンがどういう話をしたのか、とても興味がある。
この碑もキム・ボクトンの発案？
キム・ボクトンだが、物議をかもしているソウルの慰安婦像の発案者とされたり、これについてもいつか書く予定だが、蝶々基金（日本から賠償金を取って、その金でアフリカの性暴力被害者を救うという厚かましい企画）の創設者にされている。十中八九これらは挺対協（ユン・ミヒャン？）の発案だろうが、お婆ちゃん（グランマ/ハルモニ）の意思としておいた方が何かと有利なのだろう。
これとは別に、キム・ボクトンはハンギョレ紙のインタビューに、ロサンゼルス（カリフォルニア州）に慰安婦の碑を建てるのだと喋っているが、彼女たちは挺対協に利用されているに過ぎない、と思う。
Korean ‘Comfort Woman’ Bok-dong Kim to discuss dark years as a sex slave for soldiers
Bok-dong Kim was among approximately 200,000 so-called Korean “comfort women” forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers before and during World War II.
PRLog (Press Release) - Jul 16, 2012 -
Los Angeles, CA—Bok-dong Kim was among approximately 200,000 so-called Korean “comfort women” forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. Now an activist seeking an apology and retribution from Japan for what they endured, she will share those struggles from her past, and her current fight, at Cal State L.A. on Thursday, July 26, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., in the Music Hall.
After Kim discusses the slavery and abuse that occurred during those dark years, a short talk will be provided by the director of “The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan,” which will be followed by a Q&A session. The council was established in 1990 to resolve the issue of what happened to the Korean women during the war, and recover human rights and dignity for the victims.
Like other Korean women who suffered at the hands of their captures more than 60 years ago, Kim is among those still alive who want compensation for the abuse.
“I was born as a woman, but have never had a woman’s life. I was dragged to the foreign army’s battles, and my entire life was ruined. When I started, the Japanese military would often beat me because I wasn’t submissive,” said Kim, as reported by CNN in March during a weekly protest that has been held outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul for the past 20 years.
It was in 1941—at the age of 15—when Kim was first sent to serve as a sexual slave in “comfort stations” in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Kim continued, “Every Sunday, soldiers came to the brothel from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Saturday from noon until 5 p.m., plus weekdays. It was very hard to handle. I couldn’t stand at the end of the weekend. Since I had to deal with too many soldiers, I was physically broken.”
Kim, who was born in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, South Korea, in 1926, believes her inability to have children is the result of the sexual abuse.
After several years of slavery, Kim was captured in 1945 by the U.S. military and became a prisoner of war. She returned to Korea a year later at the age of 20, and didn’t report her ordeal until 1992, the year she began her weekly protests in front of the Japanese embassy.
In 1993, Kim attended and testified at the “World Human Rights Conference” in Vienna, Austria, and has since testified during other events in Japan and the United States.
Last year, Kim proposed building a “Peace Monument” in front of the embassy in Seoul. This year, she founded the “Butterfly Fund,” which helps victims of ongoing sexual violence in Congo and Uganda.
The issue of comfort women continues to create friction between Korea and Japan.
The event is sponsored by the KAFC/ Korean American Forum of California.
PRLOG 2012.7.16
