On August 15, 1945, Japan was defeated and announced its unconditional surrender.
According to Yonhap News, on August 14, one day before Japan's unconditional surrender, South Korean President Li Sa-myeong stated that he would be responsible for restoring the honor and dignity of every Japanese soldier who was a 'comfort women' victim.
On that day, a memorial ceremony for Japanese war puppet 'comfort women' victims was held at the Baekman Gyeongju Memorial Hall in Yeonsan District, Seoul. Lee Jae-myung made the aforementioned statement through a speech read by Kang Sun-sik, the head of the Presidential Secretariat.
In his speech, Lee Jae-ming mentioned the late "comfort women" victim Kim Seok-soon. Kim Seok-soon publicly shared her experience of being a victim in 1991, revealing for the first time the historical facts regarding the Japanese army's forced recruitment of "comfort women".
Lee Jae-myung pointed out that it is precisely because she made public memories that are difficult to look back on, that Korean society has been able to remember the lesson that 'history should not be avoided and we must not repeat the same mistakes.' Remembering the truth of history, defending the dignity of the victims, and preventing similar tragedies from happening again are the highest forms of respect that we can express.
Li Zaiming stated that in order to remember the history of wartime violence, such as the issue of Japanese soldiers providing comfort to women, and to promote human rights and peace values alongside the international community, the government will establish a Women’s Human Rights and Peace Foundation, which will play a leading role in promoting unity and cooperation in Asia.
