Wednesday Demonstration, which first started in January of 1992, is held every Wednesday at noon in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul and it will mark its 1,000th protest on December 14th, 2011.

Wednesday Demonstration, which is held every Wednesday in front of Japanese Embassy in Seoul for the restoration of dignity and human rights of ‘comfort women’, started on Jan. 8, 1992. The weekly demonstrations have been organized by member groups of the Korean Council and various socio-civic groups as well as by the Korean Council itself. On special occasions such as the anniversary of the end of the war and International Women's Day, the solidarity demonstrations are held worldwide in many countries to resolve the ‘comfort women’ issue. 

Date & Time : 12 noon (Wednesday)
Location : In front of Japanese Embassy (64, Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea)

The living witnesses of the history, victim-survivors of the sexual slavery, are mostly in their advanced ages, ranging from 80s to 90s. Currently in 2011 there are only 70 halmonies still living out of 234 halmonis who are registered in the official record of the Korean government.
(*Halmoni : Refering elder woman in Korean, meaning 'grandmother'. We call the survivors 'Halmoni' as a way of showing our respect and affection.)

For the survivors of the military sexual slavery by Japan, who are mostly elderly women now, the Korean Council provides services such as counseling, human rights camp, medical support, and outdoor visits. In addition, the Korean Council recruits and trains volunteers who regularly visit and take care of the survivors and carries out various healing programs to help the victims cure their wounds from the atrocities. Also, the Korean Council operates a shelter called “Woorijip (our home)” for those who are unable to live alone.

The Korean Council, since its formation, has urged the Korean government to deal with Military Sexual Slavery by Japan issues with sincerity. Through the continuous effort of the council, the Korean government established a task force on the ‘comfort women’ issue under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 24th, 1992 to carry out a full investigation on the ‘comfort women’ crime. It allowed government bodies to collect any related documents and receive reports that identified victims through the Redcross and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Korean Council called on the government and the National Assembly to enact a law to aid stabilization of livelihood (1993) through which the government was able to provide the victims with leased apartments (36.4-59.5m²) and also made great efforts to pass a legislation which prohibits Japanese war criminals from entering and leaving the country (1997).

In response to Japanese government's plan to provide Asian Women's Fund as a way of avoiding the legal reparation in May 1998, the Korean Council conducted two nationwide fundraising campaigns. The Korean Council succeeded in attaining 43,000,000 won, the fund for the stabilization of livelihood of the victims, which was made up of donations made through the Korean Council and fund from the government budget.

Besides these activities, the Korean council encourages the government and the National Assembly to actively participate on international and inter-governmental level to demand apology and compensation from Japan and to resolve the issue.

The Korean Council has been intensifying and expanding solidarity and support from international community since it had reported the ‘comfort women’ issue to the UN Human Rights Commission as an issue of violence against women during war in 1992. Through two investigations by the UN Special Rapporteur, Japanenese military sexual slavery was recognized as a violation of the international law and recommendations calling Japan to take responsibility were adopted accordingly. And thereafter more recommendations were made by the UN human rights bodies (Human Rights Council, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, etc), the International Labour Organization and the International Commission of Jurists.

In 1993, the Korean Council put the ‘comfort women’ issue on the international table by including it in the resolution of the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna 1993 and the World Conference on Women in Beijing 1995. The council has also been striving to resolve the ‘comfort women’ issue by collaborating with other victimized Asian countries through Asian Solidarity Conference since 1992.

Held in Tokyo from December 7th to 12th in 2000, "The Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery" was a symbolic international human rights tribunal. The aim of the tribunal was "to find all the facts and truth about wartime sexual violence against women before and during World War II, including Military Sexual Slavery by Japan system, to clarify the responsibilities of the perpetrators, both the state and individuals, and to restore the survivors' dignity and justice. The Korean Council made co-indictment for the tribunal in cooperation with North Korea. It has convicted Hirohito and those who were involved in the 'Comfort Women' crime in its final decision.

The global campaigns to resolve the ‘comfort women’ issue are being carried out in various ways in different parts of the world. Also, following the resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007, many resolutions are being passed by national assemblies of many other countries and local councils in Korea and Japan.

One of the significant elements of the movement to resolve the ‘comfort women’ issue is to teach the correct history to future generations so that such infringement of human rights will never be repeated in human history. As a result in 1999, the Korean Council founded the Education Center, a site for history education, to restore women's human rights that were violated during the war and to teach citizens and foreigners about the history of ‘comfort women’ through projects and visiting schools. Moreover, through campaigns and exhibits, the Education Center encourages participation and solidarity from students and citizens.

The Korean Council's War and Women's Human Rights Center was founded on July 20th, 2001. It was established to stop violence against women in armed conflict regions that is happening around the world today by advancing the “comfort woman” issue. The center’s main activities are data collecting, researching, creating educational activities, and holding seminars and symposiums regarding women's human rights issues in armed conflict regions.

The Korean Council is planning to open a museum exhibiting and recording the council’s movement and the victims of “comfort women” system to provide the future generations with a site of history, peace and human rights education. Currently, the Korean Council is raising funds for the project, collecting materials, and planning exhibitions. The museum will open on International Women’s Day on March 8th 2012.