The “Delivery of Remembrance Flowers” campaign (Image courtesy of Gyeonggi Province)
SUWON, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s Gyeonggi province is launching a “Delivery of Remembrance Flowers” campaign ahead of the August 14 commemoration day for Korean victims of Japanese military sexual slavery during World War II.
The campaign calls on 139 selected participants from across the nation to deliver flowers to the same number of “comfort woman” statues installed in their local communities throughout July.
The initiative aims to raise awareness about the atrocities of the Japanese military’s forced recruitment of women into frontline brothels while allowing participants to pay respects to the dwindling number of survivors, now mostly in their 90s.
Applications are open until 6 p.m. on June 20 through an online form for all citizens. The chosen 139 will receive flowers from organizers to be hand-delivered to the statues erected as memorials in their designated regions.
Shown in this file photo taken on May 17, 2020, is a statue in central Seoul that symbolizes Korean women who were forcibly taken to front-line military brothels to serve Japanese soldiers during World War II. The victims are euphemistically called “comfort women.” (Yonhap)
Participants are encouraged to photograph the moment and share it on social media. Those interested can also attend the main commemoration event on August 10 at the House of Sharing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.
When applying, individuals can rank their top three preferred statue locations. Volunteers will receive certification for community service hours.
“We hope the hearts delivering flowers to the statues found in neighborhoods throughout the nation can collectively preserve this unforgettable history,” said Kim Mi-sung, director of the Gyeonggi Province Women and Family Bureau.
An estimated 200,000 Korean women and girls were coerced into sexual servitude at Japan’s military-run brothels during its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Today, only nine survivors remain.
The memorial statues, typically depicting a girl seated next to an empty chair, have been erected across the country and overseas to commemorate their suffering and demand a formal apology from Japan.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
