August 14, 2025: On the 13th International Comfort Women Memorial Day—observed since 2012 by civil groups across South Korea, the Chinese mainland, Japan and beyond—voices rose in unison to honor the women forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
This year coincides with the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People27s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. As survivors dwindle24only seven registered in the Republic of Korea after the recent passing of Gil Won-ok, and another seven on the Chinese mainland24the rush to preserve their stories has never been more urgent.
In Seoul, rain didn27t dampen determination as residents gathered in front of the Japanese embassy for the annual protest. “Even with the rain coming down like this, seeing all of you here brings me to tears,” said 97-year-old Lee Yong-soo, herself a survivor, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Activists like Choi Ye-ji stress that speaking out is vital: “If we don27t speak out and make ourselves heard, people won27t listen24even now.” Demonstrations, educational programs, and museum archives are all part of the fight to keep this history alive, said Shin Hei-soo of the Korea Center for United Nations Human Rights Policy. “If we have will to preserve and teach the next generation, it will survive.”
Data from the Research Center for Comfort Women at Shanghai Normal University estimates some 400,000 women from over a dozen Asian countries were forced into wartime sexual slavery—about half of them from the Chinese mainland. Since 1991, when the first former comfort woman spoke publicly, the call for formal apologies and compensation has echoed across borders.
As the last survivors grow older, young global citizens, activists and travelers alike are reminded that remembrance is more than a ceremony—it27s a commitment to justice, education and human dignity.
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Protest, fewer survivors mark 13th Intl Comfort Women Memorial Day
cgtn.com
