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
Carol Gluck
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
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
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
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
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.
Lee Jeeheng
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
The movie “Denial” (Mick Jackson, 2017)
Heo Yoon
Ahead of the publication of the webzine of Research Institue on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery (RIJMSS), 10 editors gathered together to discuss the future of the webzine. At the two editorial symposiums held on January 31and February 25, 2019, discussions were held on the ways and limitations carried out on the issue of the ‘comfort women’ so far and the direction in which the webzine should move forward next.
Editorial Team of Webzine <Kyeol>
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