Foreign ministry says historical facts about comfort women already 'proven universally'

SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry said Thursday that historical facts about victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery have already been "proven universally," amid public criticism of a Harvard University professor's characterization of it as voluntary prostitution.

J. Mark Ramseyer, Mitsubishi professor of Japanese Legal Studies at Harvard Law School, has come under blistering criticism after publishing an article casting the former sex slaves as willing prostitutes who worked under voluntary contracts.

"One thing that we would like to stress is that historical facts, including the victimization of comfort women, have already been proven universally through numerous accounts of the victims and international probes," Choi Young-sam, ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.

Comfort women is a euphemism for the victims that were forced by the Japanese imperialist military into sexual servitude at frontline brothels during World War II.

"Our government plans to continue efforts to remember victims and strengthen research endeavors at home and abroad, while continuously working to enhance the international community's understanding of the essence of the issue," he added.

Choi refused to comment specifically on Ramseyer's controversial article about the former sex slaves.

"I think that at this stage, it is desirable for the government to refrain from expressing a concrete position on the outcome of an individual scholar's academic research," he said.

The issue returned to the media spotlight after a Seoul court ordered Japan last month to make reparations of 100 million won (US$90,293) each to 12 former sex slaves -- without recognizing sovereign immunity in the trial.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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