Recently discovered historical records show presence of comfort women on Chuuk Islands

Posted on : 2017-12-29 13:00 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The documents were unearthed by a research team from Seoul National University
A photograph containing the image of Lee Bok-soon was found in recently discovered documents showing that Korean comfort women were present on the Chuuk Islands during World War II. (provided by Seoul City)
A photograph containing the image of Lee Bok-soon was found in recently discovered documents showing that Korean comfort women were present on the Chuuk Islands during World War II. (provided by Seoul City)

In 1943, a 17-year-old employee at a sewing factory in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, boarded a boat to the Chuuk Islands, trusting someone who told her about a factory there where she could earn more money. Part of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Chuuk Islands were a major base for Japanese naval fleets during the Pacific War. At the time, many Koreans were forced into working on base construction there. Numerous witnesses have recalled seeing Korean comfort women on the islands at the time, but no historical records on their actual victimization had been found – until now.

On Dec. 11, the city of Seoul and the research team of professor Chung Chin-sung of the Seoul National University Human Rights Center announced the discovery of evidence showing that 26 Korean comfort women had lived on the Chuuk Islands. The materials included US combat logs, a passenger list for the Ikino (an escort ship carrying Korean comfort women survivors home), photographs from their return, and New York Times articles. Survivor Lee Bok-soon returned to Korea on board the Ikino in 1946 after three years as a comfort woman.

According to the combat logs of US troops, Koreans accounted for 3,483 of the 14,298 people returned to their home countries on the Ikino. The number included 190 soldiers, 3,049 navy laborers, and 244 civilians. Among the people returning to Korean with lee on the ship were 26 other Korean comfort women survivors and three children.

The materials discovered also revealed the existence of other victims not officially registered as comfort women survivors. Ha Bok-hyang, a native of Gyeongsan in North Gyeongsang Province, was a 15-year-old in 1941 when she followed a tip about a position at a factory, only to end up forced to work as a Japanese military comfort woman in Manila. Her victimization remained a secret after Ha died in 2001, which occurred before her registration as a comfort women survivor.

But the SNU Human Rights Center’s recent discovery of a prisoner-of-war interrogation card for a comfort woman survivor who was taken to the Philippines showed a record that Ha had been found by US troops on the island of Luzon on Sept. 14, 1945, and then kept at the first prison camp on Luzon before boarding a ship home. Although she was listed under the name of Kafuko, the research team confirmed her identity by comparing photographs and fingerprints from Ha.

A prisoner-of-war interrogation card showing comfort woman Ha Bok-hyang
A prisoner-of-war interrogation card showing comfort woman Ha Bok-hyang

Park Jeong-ae, a professor at the center, asked how many other “second Lee Bok-soon” like Ha might exist.

“During the Japanese occupation, police cracked down heavily on ‘groundless rumors’ about women’s forced mobilization, so there are no records of Koreans being taken away to serve as comfort women,” Park said.

“But there are records of them returning after Japan’s surrender,” she added.

“We have interrogation cards for around 30 people, so we may be able to confirm additional victims going ahead,” Park continued, adding that the South Korean government “needs to take action to investigate victimization for more than just the 239 women who voluntarily registered as survivors.”

The city of Seoul plans to publish a book of findings next January from its two-year management project for archival materials related to Japanese military comfort women.

By Nam Eun-ju, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

Related stories