January 30, 2019. Excerpt from Opening Statement of the Party’s Supreme Council Meeting

“Japan Must Offer a Sincere Apology to the Late Kim Bok-dong, a Witness to History”

□ Lee Hae-chan, Chairman of the DPK

Yesterday I offered my condolences at the funeral for the deceased Kim Bok-dong. The late Kim Bok-dong was a human rights activist who actively spoke out on the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, making it known to the world. Among the 238 former sex slaves officially registered with the South Korean government, only 23 of these women remain alive. It is our responsibility to make every effort to heal the wounds of the victims before it is too late. The government and our party decided to dissolve the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, a Japanese-funded organization supporting the victims, which was hastily established under the former Park Geun-hye administration. We are striving to find ways to heal the victims’ wounds left by the bitter past and help recover their dignity, which included the establishing of a research institution dedicated to the issue of Japan’s wartime sex slavery. The Japanese government expressed its protest against Seoul’s decision to disband the foundation, arguing that the decades-old dispute over the issue was “irreversibly” resolved under its agreement with the former Park administration. Now I am urging the Japanese government to offer a sincere apology to the late Kim and make the utmost efforts to resolve this issue.