Webzine-KYEOL │ Research Institute on Japanese Military Sexsual Slavery (RIMSS)

Activism Navigating Memory Wars: A Research Journey Through the Politics of "Comfort Women" Commemoration

The spread of “Comfort Women” memorials across different cities and countries offers insights into both possibilities and the limits of memory activism, especially in an era when the world continues to confront the legacies of colonialism, racism, and historical injustice.

Dr. Daniel Schumacher

Activism Tackling Contested Histories for a Deeper Understanding of the Past and Present

The Contested Histories Initiative (CHI) is a Europe-based NGO dedicated to studying disputes over historical memorials in public spaces and promoting critical engagement with them. CHI’s Program Director, Paula O’Donohoe, spoke with Kyeol about the organization’s work and its broader vision.

Paula O’Donohoe

Current Issue The Politics of Memory in the BTS Fandom to Resist Historical Revisionism

Lee Jeeheng

Activism Inside the Asia Pacific Peace Museum in Toronto

The Asia Pacific Peace Museum in Toronto, one of the few museums outside Asia dedicated to World War II in Asia, offers education that encourages critical reflection on war, memory, and peace.

Flora Mei-Ling Chong

Activism Voices of “Comfort Women”: A Global Civic Movement for Memory

The suffering of the Japanese Military “Comfort Women,” one of the most tragic human rights abuses of the 20th century, should be preserved and managed as historical documentary heritage. This is crucial to prevent such atrocities from recurring and provide a lesson to future generations.

Hye-in Han

Culture Art as Witness

What can art accomplish beyond aesthetics? Randy Jayne Rosenberg examines how it can preserve marginalized histories, support survivor testimony, and move audiences from observation toward ethical responsibility.

Randy Jayne Rosenberg

Activism The Unique and Irreplaceable “Voices of ‘Comfort Women’”

The history of the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” issue has challenged long-standing conservative cultural norms regarding women and sexuality in Asia by amplifying the voices of the victims. Moreover, it has contributed to the establishment of globally significant norms and values related to women’s human rights. This means that the records documenting the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” issue and related activities meet the criteria of “world significance.”

Hye-in Han

Culture The Past and Future of Testimony Presented by the “Comfort Women” : Testimony as Evidence and as Actions

This achievement of historical research will serve as a basis for listening to testimonies in depth beyond the narrow standard of “fact verification.”

Lee Jieun

#testimony

Culture Earth Is Not Flat - the Movie “Denial” Review

The movie “Denial” (Mick Jackson, 2017)

Heo Yoon

일본군'위안부'문제연구소 2022 학술 콜로키움 <증언 이후: 일본군'위안부' 피해 재현의 윤리와 폭력>

Culture Rediscovering “Our” Issues in “Their” Fight: Review of the “After Testimony” Colloquium

Bae Ha-eun

Education Accurate and Insightful: A Wise Approach to Engaging with “Comfort Women” Records and Information

At a time when the history of the Japanese military “Comfort Women” is increasingly being disparaged and distorted, digital archives are expanding their role as both a reliable repository of information and a platform for communication.

Kim Seo-yeon

[사진 3] 청팍옌 박사 가족이 소유했던 자란 주롱 케칠의 상가 건물은 일부가 과거 위안소로 사용되었다는 이유로 처음으로 보존 대상으로 선정됐다. (사진 제공:케빈 블랙번)

Historical Memory Characteristics of the Issue of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery in Singapore

Until 2022, when the book The Comfort Women of Singapore in History and Memory was published, it was widely thought in Singapore that there were no Singaporean "Comfort Women" who were sexually enslaved by the Japanese military.

Kevin Blackburn

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