South Korean ex-comfort woman writes memoir
- 10 years ago
At 96, Kim Bok-deuk is the oldest of South Korea's surviving 'comfort women' who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army in World War II.
She says she was taken away by Japanese soldiers when she was just 22.
(SOUNDBITE) (Korean) KIM BOK-DEUK, FORMER COMFORT WOMAN, SAYING:
"My mother thought I went to my aunt's house. Nobody knew where I'd gone."
She was shipped to war front brothels in China then to the Philippines, where she says she was forced to serve 10 men each night, sometimes more, for six years.
Song Do-ja, who's been looking after Kim for 12 years, says it took a while for Kim to open up to the idea of telling her story.
(SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SONG DO-JA, HEAD OF TONGYEONG & GEOJE CITIZENS' COMMUNITY WITH THE VICTIMS OF MILITARY SEXUAL SLAVERY BY JAPAN, SAYING:
"Writing this book was possible because Kim realized it is not her who should be ashamed, but the Japanese government. Because Japan was to blame, and not her.."
She says she was taken away by Japanese soldiers when she was just 22.
(SOUNDBITE) (Korean) KIM BOK-DEUK, FORMER COMFORT WOMAN, SAYING:
"My mother thought I went to my aunt's house. Nobody knew where I'd gone."
She was shipped to war front brothels in China then to the Philippines, where she says she was forced to serve 10 men each night, sometimes more, for six years.
Song Do-ja, who's been looking after Kim for 12 years, says it took a while for Kim to open up to the idea of telling her story.
(SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SONG DO-JA, HEAD OF TONGYEONG & GEOJE CITIZENS' COMMUNITY WITH THE VICTIMS OF MILITARY SEXUAL SLAVERY BY JAPAN, SAYING:
"Writing this book was possible because Kim realized it is not her who should be ashamed, but the Japanese government. Because Japan was to blame, and not her.."