Victims of sexual slavery to hold internation

Women seek official apology, compensation from Japanese government.

Former so-called "comfort women," who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II, will launch another tour in South Korea and Japan to let people know about their suffering and to ask for an official apology and compensation from the Japanese government.

According to the House of Sharing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, where some of the former comfort women live, on October 29 it will start assembling some of the women's testimony to try to resolve the issue. The testimony will be presented during simultaneuos tours of about 20 places in South Korea and Japan. The former comfort women that will be participating in person will split up to begin their tours on November 19.

In Korea, the women's assemblies will take place in Seoul, South and North Gyeongsang Provinces, Busan, South and North Jeolla Provinces, and Gangwon Province. In Japan, they will be held in Kyoto, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Okinawa.

Lee Ok-seon, Kang Il-chul, and Kim Gun-ja, who live at the House of Sharing and Lee Yong-su, who lives in Daegu, will give lectures.

An Sin-gwon, leader of the house, said, "The problem of sex slavery should be resolved while the victims are still alive. We plan to let people know that the Japanese government should officially apologize to the victims and give them sufficient legal compensation."

The women took similar tours to Japanese cities in 2004 and 2005.

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