“Comfort Women” Justice Coalition — 5th Anniversary Event

Five years and despite all the attempts to take it down, the “Comfort Women” Memorial is still standing strong in St. Mary’s Square in San Francisco.

On September 24, 2022, after three years of pandemic virtual events, we were able to celebrate this occasion live and in person at the Memorial. It was a standing room with over 300 attendees.

[ Jump to the end of the article for lots of photos. ]

Miho Kim and Judith Mirkinson started the program with a reminder that San Francisco was once Yelamu, the land of the Ramaytush Ohlone people who had been forced off the land after being there for thousands of years. Thus, from the beginning of the program, the links were made between the colonialism and racism of the past with the experiences of the “comfort women” and with what continues to this day.

The demand of the gathering was clear: Japan must apologize for its system of sexual slavery and take responsibility for its actions.

Chief Justice Abby Abinanti, our keynote speaker, spoke to this clearly, referencing the collective cultures present that call for accountability and responsibility as a pathway to healing and closure of wrongs and how different this was from the individualistic and revenge culture of the mainstream.

We were greatly honored by the presence of Zhang Jianmin, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China. Consul General Zhang Jianmin, Dr. Jonathan Kim, Soon Ran Kim, Judge Lillian Sing, and Judge Julie Tang offered flowers to the “Comfort Women.” Dr. Jonathan Kim, Soon Ran Kim, Judge Lillian Sing, and Judge Julie Tang presented Consul General Zhang Jianmin with a miniature statue of the “CW” Memorial, Seoul, ROK.

From left to right: Soon Ran Kim, Judge Julie Tang, Consul General Zhang Jianmin, Judge Lillian Sing, Dr. Jonathan Kim.

The speakers emphasized the links between what happened to the hundreds of thousands of women and girls who were sexually enslaved by the Japanese Imperial Army in WWII and the prevalence of gender violence today. Represented were members of the Korean American and Chinese American communities as well as numerous political and civic leaders.

[ Jump to the end for speeches. ]

All in all, it was a wonderful success with a Lion Dance, music by Evelie Delfino Sales Posch and MAHAL, and a traditional Korean dance by Sukyung Choi, a Korean folk dancer and choreographer.