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The controversial military commentator Ji Man-won has come under fire again after saying that claims by some women to have been drafted into sexual slavery as ¡°comfort women¡± by the Japanese Army were fraudulent.
Ji said on his website on Wednesday and Thursday that only 33 women had been confirmed former ¡°comfort women,¡± or Chongshindae, by Shim Mi-ja, a comfort woman whose painful past was acknowledged by the Japanese Supreme Court. Ji said none of the 33 took part in a protest former comfort women stage every Wednesday in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. He said Japan concluded that one ostensible comfort woman who appeared frequently on TV was a fraud and refused to pay her compensation. Ji claimed no more than 20 percent of all comfort women were forcefully conscripted by Japan, while the rest were ordinary prostitutes trying to escape from poverty.
Rights organizations and Korea¡¯s online community have bombarded Ji with criticism over the claims.
The Korea Chongshindae Council issued a statement threatening legal action against Ji for defamation and violating the human rights of former comfort women. The organization¡¯s website was inundated with messages criticizing Ji. They said Ji should be held accountable for his remarks, which rubbed salt into wounds of former comfort women.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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