War's aging victims still wait for apology

Some seven decades on, South Korean former "comfort women" who were forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers during World War II are still waiting for an official apology and compensation from Japan.

Year by year, however, fewer of these aging women are left to protest.

So far this year, five former "comfort women" have died. According to the South Korean government, of the 234 women who said they were forced to provide sexual services to Japanese soldiers during the war, only 83 survive. Most of those women are in their late 80s.

In Gwangju, south of Seoul, is a nursing home for former comfort women. Known as Nanum no Ie, or the House of Sharing, the facility now is home to eight women between the ages of 83 and 92.

Kim Hwa-seon, 84, was born in Pyongyang when it was still under Japanese colonial domination. She was sent to Singapore when she was 16 to work as a "comfort woman."

"Japan is waiting for us to die," said Kim, who still speaks Japanese. "What will happen when we die? I cry every day. I feel so lonely."

Her legs have been bothering her recently, making it impossible for her to walk any great distance.

The House of Sharing was established in 1992 through donations raised mainly by Buddhist organizations. The first facility was constructed in Seoul, but it moved to Gwangju three years later.

Its staff of six include a Japanese, Ippei Murayama, 29, who has been working there for four years.

"Many residents suffer from broken bones or have cataracts and dementia," Murayama said. "Pushing wheelchairs has become a part of my everyday life."

The House of Sharing also has a museum with exhibit and meeting rooms. It receives about 5,000 visitors a year, with about half from Japan. Those from Japan are mainly senior high school students on school trips, university students researching a thesis or members of labor unions and citizens groups.

Many of the women's memories have faded, and now some have difficulty conveying the suffering they experienced decades ago.

On July 21, one resident, Park Ok-seon, 86, was spotted in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. She was taking part in a protest held every Wednesday at noon involving former "comfort women" and their supporters.

The protests began in January 1992. The one on July 21 was the 927th.

The protesters demanded the Japanese government offer a formal apology and pay compensation.

Despite temperatures near 30 degrees, Park and five other former "comfort women" raised their voices.

Park was born in Miryang in the southern part of South Korea. When she was 18, she was tricked into working as a "comfort woman" in China's Heilongjiang province. She spent four years there until the war ended.

On weekdays, she was forced to have sex with several soldiers. On weekends, she was required to service dozens of soldiers.

"When you return to Japan, tell the Japanese people one thing," Park said. "I want you to resolve this problem quickly before I die."

Because of the cold winters in Seoul, the residents of the House of Sharing have not been taken to the protest demonstrations during winter months.

"The ones who can come here are the most healthy, but there are many who live alone or who are bedridden in a facility and cannot get out," said Yang Lo-ja, an official with the group that organizes the weekly protests.

In the past, it was not unusual for the protesters to tangle with police.

However, the July 21 protest ended without incident after about an hour.

The gates of the embassy remained tightly closed throughout.

A number of former and current Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers have taken up the cause of the former "comfort women" and submitted bills that would clarify the state's responsibility and resolve the issue.

However, after the DPJ took over control of government last September, no such legislation has been submitted, and there is no indication of when such bills will become law.