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Room 701, Seoul YWCA, 1-1, Myeongdong 1(il)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul,
TEL +82-02-774-4050, FAX +82-02-774-4090
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Date: 9/10/2012
Phone +82-2-774-4050 / FAX +82-2-774-4090
Korean Consumer Organizations’ Position on Japan’s Attempt to Distort and Ignore History Regarding the Past Sufferings of Comfort Women
We at the Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations (KNCCO) hereby express our deep regret over the outlandish remarks made recently by several high-ranking officials, politicians, and rightists of Japan, along with their attempt to distort history. We would like to urge that the governments of Japan and South Korea and the international community strive to establish an accurate view of history and world peace in order to not to repeat this dark history.
1. Japanese politicians should offer a truly remorseful attitude and fulfill their legal responsibilities.
After the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution on July 31, 2007 calling on the government of Japan to deliver an apology for its sexual enslavement of "comfort women" during World War II, similar resolutions passed in the parliaments of the Netherlands, Canada, and the EU. Thus, the international community has blamed Japanese imperialists for the barbarous acts perpetrated by them during World War II. The Japanese politicians are strongly encouraged to realize that their attempt to hide the truth or their outlandish remarks about shameful acts perpetrated in the past will eventually isolate Japan from the international community. We urge that they offer a truly remorseful attitude and fulfill their legal responsibilities, including compensation for losses incurred by the victims.
2. The South Korean government should take a firmer position against Japan’s attempt for the distortion of history.
Recently, some Japanese politicians stated that Korean women voluntarily chose to be comfort women for Japanese troops to earn money during the Pacific War. They also made an attempt to delete the facts from textbooks about the country’s shameful acts perpetrated during the war. We regard this as a very serious matter, as it will misinform Japanese young people’s understanding of history. The South Korean government should take a resolute attitude against such attitudes presented by some Japanese politicians and rightists in cooperation with the international community.
3. The international community should pay attention to the shameless attitude of some Japanese politicians about their past wrongdoings.
German President Joachim Gauck visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel and paid homage to the holocaust victims in May 2012. German Chancellor knelt down at the monument to express his regrets to victims of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Poland of December 1970. Such an attitude shown by German leaders goes in stark contrast to those of some politicians of Japan, another perpetrator of World War II, who have been intent on excusing and shirking responsibility for the country’s past wrongdoings. The international community should continue pressure on Japan to take a sincere attitude in such matters with a focus on compensation for comfort women and distortion of history, in order to promote lasting world peace and not keep history in darkness.
September 10, 2012
Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations (KNCCO)
< KNCCO’s member organizations >
Korea Consumer Affairs Institute, Consumers Union of Korea, National Council of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of Korea, Korea YWCA Federation, Green Consumer network in Korea, Korean Federation of Housewives Club, National Council of Homemakers’ Classes, Consumers Korea, Headquarter of Korean Women’s Association, Korea Consumer Education Center
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