Deputy Speaker Nam Insoon Hosts Forum on State Responsibility for Remembering and Recording the History of Japanese Military 'Comfort Women'

Discussing a Public Platform for Preserving, Researching, and Educating on Survivor Testimonies

"Pushing Forward with the Establishment of the Women’s Human Rights and Peace Foundation"

Nam Insoon, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly (of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Songpa-byeong, Seoul), held a National Assembly forum on September 4 entitled "Remembering and Recording the History of Japanese Military 'Comfort Women' and the State's Responsibility." The event was organized to discuss the need to establish a national foundation for systematically preserving and utilizing testimonial accounts from victims and scattered records and research achievements both in Korea and abroad, as only five survivors of the Japanese military 'comfort women' are still alive, as well as the necessity of founding the Women’s Human Rights and Peace Foundation.

The event was attended by Deputy Speaker Nam; Baek Hye-ryeon, a Democratic Party lawmaker from the Gender Equality and Family Committee; Jung Chun-saeng, lawmaker of the Innovation of the Homeland Party; Jeong Jong-ok, Gender Equality and Family Secretary of the Presidential Office; and Park Kwang-soo, President of the Korea Women's Human Rights Institute, among others.

Nam Insoon, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.

Deputy Speaker Nam stressed, "We must create a foundational system that preserves, researches, and educates about the history of Japanese military 'comfort women,' even after all survivors are gone." She went on to say, "The Women’s Human Rights and Peace Foundation should serve as a public platform that enables civil society, local history institutions, and research organizations to connect and cooperate while maintaining their individual expertise and autonomy."

Kim Jung-jae, Chair of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee, stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure the committee plays its part in thoroughly preserving, researching, and accurately passing down the testimonies and records of victims to future generations."

Won Min-kyung, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, said, "Records are the foundation for safeguarding truth against distortion and denial," adding, "We will push forward in establishing the Women’s Human Rights and Peace Foundation to carry out this work continually and professionally."

President Lee Jae-myung also stated in his message for the National Memorial Day for Japanese Military 'Comfort Women' Victims on August 14 that "the Women’s Human Rights and Peace Foundation will be established to play a central role in promoting solidarity and cooperation across Asia." With both the president and the relevant minister reaffirming this commitment, legislative deliberations in the National Assembly are expected to gain further momentum.

The amendment to the “Act on the Protection of 'Comfort Women' Victims,” sponsored by Deputy Speaker Nam, contains provisions for establishing the legal basis of the Women’s Human Rights and Peace Foundation, tasked with conducting investigations and research for restoring honor and uncovering the truth of victims, discovering, collecting, and preserving materials, and promoting education, exhibitions, and commemorative projects.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.