Bandie Statement on Prosecution Indictment against Former/Current Activists of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
Bandie
Statement on Prosecution Indictment against Former/Current Activists of the
Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual
Slavery by Japan
Bandie[1] strongly
condemns the prosecution indictment against lawmaker Yoon, Meehyang and an
activist of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of
Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (the Korean Council), despite disproving
allegations of “accounting frauds” raised by the conservative media that
initiated the investigation.
The prosecution
investigation, initiated by a cascade of false allegations raised and
circulated through conservative media since May, violated basic human rights of
the activists and citizens who have dedicated to the movement for Japanese
military sexual slavery issue. The prosecution accepted allegations from media
coverage and right-winger organizations that do not have proper registration or
account information.[2] While legal
guidelines for search and seizure stipulate that the procedures have to be
conducted within a minimal range according to specified criminal charges, the
prosecution designated the widest range of the organization’s documents in
order to investigate as many allegations as had appeared. Disregarding legal
guidelines on search and seizure and enforcing invasive investigative methods
including excessive calls (amounting to 40 calls in 4 days[3]) throughout
the investigation have inflicted both physical and psychological effects on the
activists, including the death of an activist who expressed dejection that her
"whole life seems to be denied." In its communication to the United
Nations Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls on August 20,
Bandie had pointed out concerns on the invasive prosecution investigation that
breached basic human rights principles.[4]
While the prosecution investigation
itself was questionable, the content of the prosecution indictment can only be
called far-fetched. In its announcement of investigation results on September
14, the prosecution disproved allegations against Yoon of misappropriation and
embezzlement of funds for her daughter’s education and housing, and against the
Korean Council of misappropriation, embezzlement, reception of redundant and
repetitive government subsidy (double dipping), dereliction of duty for selling
Anseong Healing Center, etc.[5] Regardless
of the fact that allegations raised by the conservative media that initiated
the investigation are cleared, however, the prosecution still decided to indict
Yoon and an activist of the Korean Council, even charging conspiracy to the
dead. Civic societies from Korea and Japan already have voiced their concerns
on the far-fetched indictment of the prosecution that aimed to defame former
and current activists on the Japanese military sexual slavery.[6]
Further, the prosecution attempts to
frame the works to inherit Gil Won-ok's legacy and her call for justice as
"quasi-fraud," arguing that the Japanese military sexual slavery
survivor and avid human rights activist was "feeble minded" when she
donated the Women's Human Rights Award money for the movement in 2017.[7] Seeing the
prosecution's attempts to demean even the survivor-activist's noble decision to
stand with the movement, we cannot help but question how the Korean society
still fails to respect Japanese military sexual slavery victim-survivors as
equal citizens with agency. Degrading survivor-activist Gil Won-ok’s decision
and dedication to the movement not only fails to take into account the
invaluable testimonies that Gil Won-ok has shared around the world through international
campaigns and countless meetings with researchers, activists, media, and future
generations, but also is a statement that debases victim-survivors’ agency. It
is an attempt to erase survivor-activist Gil Won-ok and her legacy, which is
nothing short of defamation and violation of human rights. From Lee, Yong-soo
to Gil, Won-ok, we witness that victim-survivors are deified or degraded by the
right-wingers to tailor to their political agenda. Their words and actions are
taken out of context and butchered, with an unmistakable intent to silence the
movement.
What is more deplorable is that the
conservative media, which have poured out groundless accusations against the
movement for resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue and activists,
are again using the prosecution indictment to recharge their bullets. Despite
the Press Arbitration Commission’s orders to delete or revise false reports,
the conservative media latch on another series of attempts to demean the
movement by citing the already disproved allegations of "accounting
frauds" and framing that “most allegations were indicted.”
The Korean Council has been one of
the leading figures in fighting against the Japanese government’s attempts to
silence the issue through “consolation fund” or “atonement fund” to evade
sincere apology and legal reparations. After the 2015 “comfort women”
agreement, which was announced abruptly by Japanese and Korean governments
(spearheaded by the Park Geun-hye administration), the Korean Council and any
activists raising their voices against the 2015 “comfort women” agreement were
framed as obstacles to diplomatic relations between the two states, to not only
the right-wingers in Japan, but also the pro-colonialists and right-wingers in
Korea. Among indiscriminate attacks against the Korean Council, were groundless
claims that the Korean Council was the one who hampered survivors from receiving money from the 2015
“comfort women” agreement. Since May, conservative media in Korea have
circulated fake news that the Korean Council was aware of undisclosed parts of
the agreement, despite the organization’s clear explanation during the press
conference on May 11, countless records of its efforts for annulment of the
agreement, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Task Force Report in 2017.[8] On
September 18, four days after the prosecution indictment, the Asashi Shimbun
claimed that the 2015 “comfort women” agreement needs to be “re-evaluated” to
achieve a true “victim-centered approach,” criticizing Yoon and the Korean
Council.[9] We cannot
overlook the politically charged attacks of the conservative media, historical
revisionists, and pro-colonialist powers, aimed to justify the 2015
"comfort women" agreement and discourage calls for justice.
We stand with the activists who have
dedicated to and enabled the movement for resolution of the Japanese military
sexual slavery issue to continue. We will stand with the activists and
victim-survivors to face another tirade of attempts to undermine their works and
voices. Our solidarity also extends to lawmaker Yoon, Meehyang, who has
tirelessly worked for resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue
in the past 30 years. Whilst defamation and unreasonable attacks against Yoon
and the Korean Council continue, Bandie will stand as a witness to the
indiscriminate attacks against the movement for justice and as a friend in
acheiving just resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue and
peace.
September
25, 2020
Bandie
[1] Bandie is a network of feminist researchers and activists
based in Korea, Japan, and the United States who ally with the movement to resolve
the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery. Bandie was formed in the midst of the problematic accusations
against the movement in South Korea, with a concern that there are not enough
outlets from which international audiences can collect truth-based information
on the movement and the allegations. We hope to contribute to a critical global
discourse on the Japanese military “comfort women” issue and the related
movement in multiple languages for those who are interested in the issue around
the globe. Follow our blog at https://bandieforjustice.blogspot.com/
