Koon-ja Kim

Koon-ja Kim

The late Koon-ja Kim testified about being a "comfort woman" in 2007, at a Congressional hearing on comfort women redress.

Center for Political Education

In 2007 Koon-ja Kim who "was forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II, gave her testimony at a film showing entitled: "As Long As I Live: Comfort Women from Korea". A number of the surviving women live in the House of Sharing and travel to the Japanese embassy for a weekly demonstration demanding an apology from the Japanese government." The classes were held at the San Francisco based Center for Political Education, an organization closely associated with the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism.

Young Koreans United

Young Koreans United, affiliated with the United for Peace and Justice, participated in an "international day of action calling for a resolution on redress for comfort women on the 60th anniversary of WWII." In a timeline, they cited Koon-ja Kim's testimony.

Comfort Women

in 2007, NAKASEC issued a press release praising Representatives Mike Honda (D – CA) and Lane Evans (D – IL) for passing a "House Resolution Supporting Redress for Former Comfort Women."

"For Immediate Release

"July 30, 2007

"Contacts:

"Becky Belcore, Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC) (Now the HANA Center)

"Cliff Sukjae Lee, Young Koreans United

"Eun Sook Lee, NAKASEC

"Yu Soung Mun, YKASEC

"Dae Joong Yoon, Korean Resource Center

"Korean American Communities Applaud Passage of House Resolution Supporting Redress for Former Comfort Women

"JOINT STATEMENT ON THE UNANIMOUS BIPARTISAN PASSAGE OFHOUSE RESOLUTION 121 By:

"Korean Alliance for Peace and Justice Young Koreans United of USA

"National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)

"Korean American Resource & Cultural Center in Chicago

"Korean Resource Center in Los Angeles

"YKASEC – Empowering the Korean American Community in Flushing

"(Los Angeles, CA) House Resolution 121, introduced by Representative Mike Honda (D – CA), states that Japan should formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner, refute any claims that the issue of comfort women never occurred, and educate current and future generations “about this horrible crime while following the recommendations of the international community with respect to the ‘comfort women’.” Korean American communities are overjoyed with the news.

"In 2001, Representative Lane Evans (D – IL) introduced the first ever resolution to address comfort women redress. Present on that day to announce the bill’s introduction was the late Soon Duck Kim, former comfort woman and a leading spokesperson from the House of Sharing (collective home for former comfort women based in Kwangju, Korea). Since that historic moment, Rep. Lane Evans and later Rep. Mike Honda have tenaciously re-introduced similar resolutions. After six years, H. Res. 121’s passage brings the former comfort women one step closer to justice.

"About Comfort Women: During WWII, 300,000 women and girls were systematically raped and tortured by the Japanese military. 80% of the women were from Korea. Only 25% are estimated to have survived. Those who lived were often unable to return home out of shame and have lived a life of severe mental and physical trauma. For decades now former comfort women have shared spoken out demanding justice. But despite growing international pressure, Japan has refused to acknowledge its moral and legal responsibility, even omitting facts about wartime atrocities, including sexual slavery, from school textbooks."