Sexual slavery victim, supporters sue right-wing activists for defamation

National 16:03 March 16, 2022

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- A surviving victim of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement and supporters sued a dozen right-wing activists Wednesday for defaming slavery victims and obstructing their weekly protest rally urging Japan's apology.

Lee Yong-soo, a 94-year-old sexual slavery victim, and seven civic groups, including the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, filed the suit against 12 key conservative activists with the Seoul Jongno Police Station earlier in the day.

They accused the right-wing activists of blasting deafening noise from 2020 to recently to muffle out the so-called Wednesday rally held every week in front of the Japanese Embassy site in central Seoul to demand a formal apology for the wartime crime.

The right wingers were also accused of obstructing the rally by occupying the regular rally site in advance and of making defamatory remarks that compare the victims to "prostitutes" and claim "the Japanese empire did not bring Korean women into servitude by force."

In the suit, Lee also accused five of them of defaming and insulting her by claiming that Korean women became "comfort women to earn money."

Since 1992, the rally has been held at the same site every Wednesday, demanding a sincere apology from Japan for a total of 1,535 sessions. The rally site has recently been plagued by scuffles and shouting matches as conservative groups launch a counter rally.