New York Street to Be Named for World War II Sex Slaves

A street in New York will be named for women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II, and a third monument in the U.S. will be put up there to remember them.

The Korean American Association of Greater New York said on Monday that its representatives met City Councilman Peter Koo, a staunch advocate of the women who are euphemistically referred to as "comfort women" by Japan, to confirm progress and discuss the schedule for the project.

The two sides have been discussing the project since June last year. It is planned for the borough of Queens, which is home to a large population of Korean Americans.

The candidate area is 156th Street, which has a high concentration of Korean American residents, and the naming will take place as early as May, Koo said. The city is seeking to build the monument next to an existing one for veterans, he added.

There are already two monuments built in the U.S. to remember the former sex slaves -- one in Palisades Park, New Jersey erected in October 2011, and one in Nassau County just next to New York City built in June 2012.

The association said the proposed location of the third monument is in a highly populated area and easily accessible to the public.

Han Chang-yeon, the president of the association, said the issue has far-reaching significance, including international human rights, women's rights and the protection of the weak.