politics

S Korean buses carry statues of 'comfort women'

83 Comments
By Jung Yeon-Je

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The Moon administration supports this. The Chong Dae Hyup OWN South Korea. South Korea has no intention of supporting the US-JPN-SK alliance.

7 ( +20 / -13 )

I'm totally in support of a day of remembrance for those that suffered this horrific abuse. These statues being displayed anywhere and everywhere though... It's designed to be particularly offensive and while I can see they are trying to make Japan atone for past wrongs I feel it is having a negative effect on Korea and is actually starting to make Korea look like a weak nation.

13 ( +29 / -16 )

The Koreans bitterness over the war and it's aftermath are still raw after more than 70 years.

5 ( +18 / -13 )

Why does the people of asia must deserved to APPEASE the rightists in Tokyo like Abe, to substain that 70plus years of sufferings because their 'Statue protesting' was preceieved as damaging the US/Japan/SK alliances?

A statue telling the past has damaged east asia stability ? Was that aburds?

NHK the Japanese offical boardcasting has boardcasted a documentary TV special of the authenic history of Unit 731 biological warfare army research unit and the entire trialing of Unit731 members in soviet Union. This documentary footage/audio record was provided from Russia. Boardcasted on August 13th sunday night.A very sensitive period before the 'Surrunder anniversay'. Are you telling me this is a China/Russia/Japanese leftist collaborations to further damaging US interest in Japan ??

-19 ( +6 / -25 )

Downright creepy. They're indoctrinating Korean youth into a rotten form of nationalism, while they could be promoting a fresh relationship between two nations that should be as tight as brothers.

25 ( +36 / -11 )

SK does it again, and again, and again and will continue to do it forever. People around the world has moved on. If their desired effect is to see Japan be put to shame, sorry folks, nobody cares anymore. Why not send one to the moon? maybe some martians will find the value of hatred?

26 ( +35 / -9 )

Koreans are special people. We are fed up.

1 ( +17 / -16 )

We need to see 'Comfort Women ' replicas inside Yasukuni Shrine.

-10 ( +11 / -21 )

I'm surprised nobody has mad a "comfort woman" pillow.

1 ( +11 / -10 )

I'd sit on that statue if that bus was crowded.

14 ( +22 / -8 )

On buses now? are they joking

17 ( +24 / -7 )

Korea, don't be ridiculous.

18 ( +25 / -7 )

One 'Comfort Woman' statue inside Yasukuni Shrine in exchange for all those in South Korea, including that famous one fronting the Japanese Embassy.

Fair enough?

-10 ( +6 / -16 )

Err Japan, at least try to be aware of your past reputation for rape and murder own it instead of refuting it. Then other nations who suffered such indignities might let it go. Or continue to rewrite history sink into denial and get offended when confronted with fact.

-12 ( +12 / -24 )

Surprising how silly Koreans can get.

14 ( +23 / -9 )

"It is designed to remind South Koreans of suffering the women went through," said Rim Jin-Wook, the head of Dong-A Traffic Service that organised the event. "We wanted to urge people not to forget our painful history," he said

Laughable.

I actually think this can/will be counter productive as there is a risk of banalization, less is more sometimes. Ppl don't need to see a holocaust, Nagasaki, napalm etc victim everyday of their lives to remember their suffering (and certainly not casually sitting on a bus, a park bench etc. Creepy & disrespectful).

16 ( +21 / -5 )

Waste of a seat if you ask me.

16 ( +20 / -4 )

Err Japan, at least try to be aware of your past reputation for rape and murder own it instead of refuting it.

Refuting it how? By giving money to Korea on more than one occasion precisely for the benefit of the victims? Is that what you mean?

11 ( +21 / -10 )

A boy named SK was beng bullied. His neighbor JP always slaps his chest. So one day he came up with an idea. He strapped dynamites on his chest. The next time the neighbor slapped his chest, he blew the bomb. Now the neighbor has no hand.

-20 ( +0 / -20 )

"It is designed to remind South Koreans of suffering the women went through," said Rim Jin-Wook, the head of Dong-A Traffic Service that organised the event.

> "designed to remind"...

Special interest groups seem to be working with President Moon to appease his base. This is more political gesturing than anything.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Why stop at putting them in buses? And why only one? There are at least 50 other seats on the bus that they could put more statues on. And then why stop there. Bus stops, restaurants, parks, there are so many seats that can be used for placing more statues! They could fit a million of these statues in Seoul, so that everywhere you look, everywhere you try to sit, will be taken up by a statue! It would be glorious, it is is sure to lift the spirits of Korean people. Only then can we move forward!

19 ( +23 / -4 )

Great move Seoul!

The more Tokyo denies the more replicas emerges.

-8 ( +10 / -18 )

Do normal Koreans really care that much anymore tbh?

The issue to me has taken on farcical undertones and I do not consider this as a legitimate issue anymore tbh

14 ( +17 / -3 )

Maybe a statue of comfort woman is to be seated on a international Korean airline. Then all the passengers will notice why there is a passenger never leaves the plane.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

This now famous "Comfort Woman" statue is one of two that were originally created as memorials for the two South Korean 14 year old girls who were killed in an accident involving a US Army vehicle in 2002. The Chong Dae Hyup found a new, if inaccurate, use for them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangju_highway_incident

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Crude politicking, motivated by activists determined to use coarse symbolism to further an agenda of division through belligerence.

It never occurred to Rim Jin-Wook that subtlety, a simple single seat allocated to an elderly women with a discrete plaque would be a more solemn dignified remembrance to the suffering these comfort women endured. No Rim Jin-Wook and a number of cabinet members of the SK Government have descended to raw antagonism, to ensure the poisonous venom of bitterness and resentment infects the young and impressionable.  

This exploitative form of campaigning is motivated to illicit an angry response, to succumb or resort to retaliation would allow activists to continue use these frail old ladies to further their cause.           

Let be absolutely clear, these comfort women endured brutal inhuman treatment, to deny this atrocity is as complacent to those that committed this applying crime.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

These reminders of a very painful tragedy of historic proportions will instantly say sayonara when the Yasukuni Shrine respectfully enshrines one .

-11 ( +5 / -16 )

If they sold inflatable comfort woman dolls, you could put one in the passenger seat and use the carpool lane!

2 ( +9 / -7 )

China and both Koreas are hardcore nationalist nations who strive to instill anti Japanese sentiments into their youth and population from birth. It's in their educational systems and state national media.

8 ( +16 / -8 )

South Koreans actually like their Northern Brothers much more than they do Americans.

If the US leaves, which is a distinct possibility in the future, things could get very dicey.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

This goes on and on and will likely never end.  the capacity of countries around Asia to bear a never ending grudge ispretty amazing.

Plus the statue looks nothing like any of the photos I have seen of the comfort women.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

Passive-aggressiveness at its creepiest.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

The Arian Germans admitted it. The Imperialist Japanese have not. Third aware vs. whitewashed generation growing in each. See the difference in the world recognition?

-9 ( +9 / -18 )

I wish Japan could just ask straight out, face-to-face, with the world’s media present, ‘What is it that we can do to heal this terrible pain? We want to, must, move on while --of course-- holding the past in our thoughts so that it is not repeated.’

On getting the answer, act on it and thus so is the future more likely to become the focus.

Also, I’d be more prone to support the staues if they weren’t so Korea-centric, if --for example-- the hanbok/joseon-ot had the names of every nation who’s people had suffered rape in war (Which would include Japan) speak against the appalling, abhorrent act globally, not just yourself.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

@Mika: Yep.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Holy poop, that's so awful! It kind makes it look like they're proud of having sex slaves in the past. If these groups really cared about what happened to those ladies that are still alive like they have said, they wouldn't be doing this. They're reminding then what they went thru everywhere they go. To me, that sounds more like torture than "let's remember the past and not repeat it."

Seriously, these people are just backwards and are no different than Japanese right-wings waving the Nazi flag around Shin Okubo or white supremacists in the USA. They're all the same.

And if it was just a group protesting or marching, fine, we have all have free speech. But to have public companies and the city joining spreading their hate (coz that's exactly what they're doing specially when they play the recording when passing in front of the JP embassy) is just awful, not to mention low.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

Dan LewisToday  08:37 am JST

I'm surprised nobody has mad a "comfort woman" pillow.

So unrespectful for the memory of those women who had been forced to sleep in bed with soldiers, as long as I will read comment like this one, the world will need more memorial days to help people to understand what was wrong and what was right.

-2 ( +10 / -12 )

This is simple, the reason Korea does this is because of Japan's 70+yrs of INSINCERITY!

Japan always wants to toss a bit of ca$h & buy SILENCE, then straight back to yasukuni for an offering to the war criminals.

And meanwhile every August its all about Hiroshima/Nagasaki.

Until Japan gets ITS history right(unlikely) then Korea will likely continue to REMIND Japan

Rinse & repeat!

-5 ( +8 / -13 )

Dan LewisToday  08:37 am JST

I'm surprised nobody has mad a "comfort woman" pillow.

So unrespectful for the memory of those women who had been forced to sleep in bed with soldiers, as long as I will read comment like this one, the world will need more memorial days to help people to understand what was wrong and what was right.

Korea have turned it into a joke, some comments merely reflect that.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

Certain nations never own up to their dark past. Slavery, colonization, apartheid, holocaust. What a county does in a specific time shapes the future on its populace.

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

inside a bus? kind of extreme.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Certain nations never own up to their dark past. 

who is not owning up? Check your history before commenting you'll save us all some time

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Japan has done so much to help Korea from a whence it was third world country. They are grateful only in the beginning and they soon forget and revert back to playing their guilt trip to obtain more favors.....

4 ( +11 / -7 )

It's morbidly disgusting how so many on here are downplaying the significance of this action.

Good ol us cheated many afflicted Asian nations out of reparations from japan. This created an illusion of non responsibility that led to situations where people openly reject well documented war crimes.

Japan has done so much to help Korea from a whence it was third world country. 

The hubristic thinking that japan gets a slide while germany gets constantly derided is nothing short of insane.

-11 ( +3 / -14 )

So unrespectful for the memory of those women who had been forced to sleep in bed with soldiers, as long as I will read comment like this one, the world will need more memorial days to help people to understand what was wrong and what was right.

Yes, it would be, wouldn't it. And I'm surprised somebody hasn't done it. People do just about anything for money.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

South Korea is trying so hard to be relevant, it's cute in a pathetic way. They are a very self absorbed and xenophobic tribe....

As for the statue, let them have at it. At least they are putting the statue in their own country, instead of trying to get others to put them up. It's only a matter of time before people start taking "selfies" with it, sit on its lap, make duck face with it.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

What they are doing is digging their own potential grave.

PRC had halted any and all currency swap with SK and Finance Minister Aso has stopped any and all talks as well due to this issue. Now SK has no where to turn to when another IMF crisis occurs.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

I may not sound politically correct nor relevant but their act could have more impact had I not known that there's a number of Korean women who work in the fusoku till now who literally come and go every so so months till their tourist visas expire. The modern day comfort women. Then and now the difference I know are the kind and amt of remuneration they receive and their gets up. So what's up?

1 ( +5 / -4 )

That's outrageous! Can you imagine putting a statue of a holocaust survivor on a London bus and then every time it drove by the German embassy it would play an audio message "and during the war six million Jews died." No, because that would be incredibly insensitive. Imagine being a Japanese citizen on that South Korean bus as it played the pro Korean audio message. It could encourage a physical confrontation. In my mind, Japan hasn't probably apologised, however, that's also partly America's fault. America were terrified of a communist Japan so they kept the right wing in Japan very strong. I do get that Korea are miffed about that, however, Korea has to move on. All they're doing is bringing up a population to hate. The more South Korea push an agenda for a war that is now over 70 years old, the more I become immune to it. Frankly, this is just embarrassing.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

MyHumbleTake

Certain nations never own up to their dark past. Slavery, colonization, apartheid, holocaust. What a county does in a specific time shapes the future on its populace.

Hmmm.....  Like owning up to slavery or colonization has done the US or UK much good?  apartheid - south Africa is still racially divided and economically a basket case.  holocaust - maybe.  Personally I think that enough apologies have been given and that there has been a signal failure to recognize that atrocities and rape and forced prostitution and the like happened from both sides.  

Agree with comments above that SK seems to almost fetishise this issue.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

SK doesn't want reconciliation with Japan... Japanese officials could make apology after apology and offer enough payment to sink a battleship, but South Korea won't let it go.

10 ( +16 / -6 )

 The more South Korea push an agenda for a war that is now over 70 years old, the more I become immune to it. Frankly, this is just embarrassing.

Sure..try explaining that once you weren't subjugated to forty years of colonialism coupled with indentured servitude with a hint of subjugation thrown in for good measure. The callousness is particularly outstanding.

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

Wallace: Japan pulled Korea out of the Dark Ages and into the 20th century. Read a bit about precolonial Korea, it was a nasty, brutish place. Of course, it wasn't all peaches and sunshine, but there is no denying that Korea benefitted from being colonized. Much like India benefitted from being part of the British Empire.

5 ( +12 / -7 )

OssanAmerica: "The Moon administration supports this. The Chong Dae Hyup OWN South Korea. South Korea has no intention of supporting the US-JPN-SK alliance."

Well, you've called them well-paid prostitutes who volunteered, so Korean have every right to continue to object to the way some Japanese (or wannabes) portray them and the lack of sincere official apologies and recognition from the Japanese government.

And I bet you support Abe donating to Yasukuni today, too.

-9 ( +6 / -15 )

Spread love not hate

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This make me believe Japan should not interfere in the Korean civil war or allow the USA to use its bases in Japan to interfere in the Korean civil war. These statues are meant to offend Japan. Japanese politicians have apologized enough. If the southern faction of Korea wants no relations with the Japanese Nations, them let it happen!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Just ridiculous

7 ( +8 / -1 )

When I see the voting on comments here,I am amazed how many people vote negatively when the plain truth is mentioned, meaning Japan, the country that I love deeply, still cannot sincerely admit their war crimes and does everything within its power to misguide their own population...

I find this sad.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

...but no statue of camptown women that were there for Americans after the Korean War?

Korea is always asking for a sincere apology. What exactly is that? I suppose the Emperor should kow tow at the Blue house. Seems to me that nothing Japan offers up will ever please the Koreans. They will just say it was not sincere. This is soemthing they intend to lord over Japan as long as they can.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

south Koreans do love the drama

5 ( +6 / -1 )

America were terrified of a communist Japan so they kept the right wing in Japan very strong.

Japan was a democratic country.  US government was at that time controled by Soviet communists spies.

US (GHQ) burned lots of Japan's democratic books after the war, but none of communists' books.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Woah man, what are they thinking?! This is so completely bizarre as to be bordering on unhinged.

They've lost all perspective if they are pulling stunts like this.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

"We wanted to urge people not to forget our painful history,"

Exactly. Trains in Tokyo should have a statue of an imperial soldier taking up a seat as well. Its the elderly who suffer from both (losing a precious seat or two from these statues).

2 ( +2 / -0 )

South Korea is only recently democratic. They also have a much more powerful leader (president) than the Japanese (pm). South Korea (and Germany, by the way) is allowed to have a full-fledged military rather than a self-defense force with a pacifist constitution. I wish SK had a volunteer-only SDF with a pacifist constitution...and either a figurehead symbol president/emperor (Emperor Lee Won, I believe) with a govt leader (pm).

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Non of these statues are on Japanese soil or within Japanese jurisdiction. Tokyo is not really in any position to press for the removal of any of these statues.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

BrusselAug. 15  09:52 pm JST

When I see the voting on comments here,I am amazed how many people vote negatively when the plain truth is mentioned, meaning Japan, the country that I love deeply, still cannot sincerely admit their war crimes and does everything within its power to misguide their own population...

I find this sad.

Why do people keep repeating this fallacy? How could South Korea and Japan have signed the 2015 landmark Comfort Women settement issuec settlement agreement if Japan did not "sincerely admit" to it's existence?

That Japan has not "admitted" to it's war crimes is an outright lie.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Robert S. AbenzToday  12:28 am JST

If the southern faction of Korea wants no relations with the Japanese Nations, them let it happen!

Exactly. Why keep relation with a more and more irrelevant and aging country such as Japan?

It's only irrelevant to people who have no money. Even wealthy Chinese and Koreans think the world's third biggest economy is very relevant.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Oh give it a rest, South Korea. The war is over, you know. It's time to move on.

So some women were made to have sex. Meanwhile men were made to go to war and die. Gosh, which ones shall we make a fuss about? Hmm, let me see now, what will please the feminists most ...?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Robert S. AbenzToday 05:24 am JSTIt's only irrelevant to people who have no money.

LOL. Do you really do some business? Ask all sane business-people and trader around the world, which is more important, China or the rapidly-aging Japan?

Yes I do. And so do many people I know. And that includes people of Chinese and South Korean backgrounds. If you did, you'd know this.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Koreans are being taught all sorts of hatred these days and it is wrong. I talked to a group of young Korean men in Finland. Told them I was Chinese. According to them the Republic of Korea was only paid token restitution by the government of Japan. There have been no apologies from the government of Japan. That all Japanese were behind the enslavement of the Korean people and the Pacific War. In other words they were not forced. Japan invaded Korea with their troops to force them into the empire. They said they learned this in school from their textbooks.

So why is it a surprise the ROK is doing this nonsense with the comfort women statues? The purpose to to continue their mindless hatred of Japan.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Talk is cheap we will never know the heinous atrocities Koreans suffered.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

tokyodoumoToday 01:55 am JSTTalk is cheap we will never know the heinous atrocities Koreans suffered.

Why not? It's all historically documented. Just as the heinous atrocities carried out by Koreans in the IJA against Allied POWs resulting in 148 Korean war criminals being charged and 23 executed. All this is documented.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

I wonder how handicapped bus riders feel about this move.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

After 70 years, isn't it time to seek peace, cooperation and harmony ?

The 2nd World War issue between Korea - Japan - China may well inflate and trigger WW3.

Why can't these "leaders" look at how Europe decided to end a string of wars, and just a few years after the end of this horrendous war, started to build European Union, WITH GERMANY, not against.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

At present moment, South Korea is more relevant than Japan.

When you sober up, you'll realize that you were completely wrong. How in hell did you get that idea in the first place? You've been sucked into too much Korean propaganda, lol.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Fed up with this disgusting, constant whining! Travelling around with ugly puppets and screaming, demanding is so ridiculous and miserable. They make pathetic fools themselves.

In my country the gloious red army raped the women from child to elderly. After they dragged 800 000 people men and women for a "malenkij robot" to Gulag camps Siberia. About 200 000 could come back alive.

We have never got any money or apologize.

I am empathy with victims, but I am not sympathy with those, who want to make a lifetime living about victimhood.

Anyway I hate the koreans repellent hysteria wery much! Japan has payed enough! I would not pay them a single cent any further.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

What a shameless joke of a country. How many 'final' agreements are they going to sign? How many millions in undeserved compensation are they going to pocket? How long is the rest of the civilized world going to be forced to put up with their pitiful bleating? Try to scrape up a little dignity ffs.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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