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
My Mother Is More Than A Comfort Woman is a storybook that presents the experiences of Filipino “Comfort Women” survivors through the eyes of their daughters and a granddaughter.
Naoko Okimoto (沖本直子)
The Berlin Statue of Peace, established in 2020, marked an important milestone in the “Comfort Women” memorial movement as the first public memorial of its kind in Europe.
Jung-Hwa Han
Eka Hindrati is an Indonesian researcher who is persistently engaging in various activities towards resolving the 'comfort women' issues despite many challenges. Through a written interview, we asked her about the progress of studies and investigations on 'Japanese military sexual slavery' in Indonesia, and about what efforts are needed in order for South Korea and Indonesia to unite through the shared past.
Eka Hindrati
In 2022, as a result of Japan’s aggressive diplomacy, UNESCO’s MoW inscription rules were revised to require all documents to be submitted through national governments. Additionally, if a concerned country objects, the application is halted from entering the review process and must instead undergo a so-called “dialogue” procedure. Under these revised rules, any attempt by a victimized country to submit documents related to the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” is likely to be blocked before even reaching the review stage due to Japan’s opposition.
Hye-in Han
Marking the 20th anniversary of the ‘Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery in 2000’
Yang Mi-gang
Legal experts and “Comfort Women” movement activists reflect on the 34-year legal struggle to resolve the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” issue.
Editorial Team of Webzine <Kyeol>
Kyung-hee Cho, Assistant Professor, Institute for East Asian Studies, Sungkonghoe University
Kyung-hee Cho
The solidarity practice of Japanese citizens who finally realized the exhibition of the “Statue of Peace” through the “Non-Freedom of Expression Exhibition”—more than a decade in the making.
Kohei Kurahashi (倉橋耕平)
Kang Jeong-sook majored in the women's history of modern Korea, and currently works as a researcher at the Centre for East Asian History at Sungkyunkwan University. She contributed greatly to the early studies on the ‘Comfort Women’, by investigating the truth of the ‘Comfort Women’ issue, recording the testimonies of the ‘Comfort Women’ victims, etc. while working at the Korean Institute of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery and the Truth Commission on Forced Mobilization.
