Seoul to chronicle sex slavery on liberation anniversary

South Korea will chronicle the sufferings of the women forced into sex slavery during Japanese colonial rule, while also seeking to hold sports events with North Korea and reopen the headquarters of its provisional governments in China, to mark the 70th anniversary of liberation this year.

The government will also build a hall of fame in downtown Seoul to honor some 20,000 independent fighters, while compiling a biographic dictionary to list their activities and boost related education.

A public-private steering committee on Thursday unveiled 50 historical, political and socio-cultural programs to take place in the run up to the Aug. 15 anniversary, after months-long review of some 560 proposals made by the central and local governments, academia and ordinary citizens.

The 11.2 billion won ($10.1 million) project is aimed at nurturing national unity and public awareness of history, promoting peace and hopes for a reunification with the North, drumming up youth participation and presenting the country’s vision for a unified future Korea, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the prime minister’s secretariat.

“Through the various programs, we hope to foster the chance to cultivate national integration and reconciliation and accelerate discussions on unification,” said Chung Chong-wook, vice chairman of the presidential committee on unification preparation who presided over the meeting.

“The people are the owners of the project. … We should formulate concrete measures and promote the programs to encourage public participation.”

To raise historical awareness, Seoul plans to reintroduce the buildings of the exile governments in Shanghai and Chongqing in September and November, respectively, which were set up in the wake of the March 1, 1919, Declaration of Independence.

The Seodaemun Independence Park, which was reconstructed from a prison where Japanese authorities tortured and executed Korean independence warriors and their followers during colonial rule from 1910-45, honors about 2,800 Koreans who devoted their lives to the crusade. The hall of fame will be modernized, expanded sharply and used as an educational venue, the OPC said.

The biographic dictionary is designed to detail the struggle of about 16,000 fighters over the next five years.

With time running out for the aging sex slavery victims, the government will write a white paper to compile the Japanese military’s atrocities and the women’s testimonies, which it will then look to list as a UNESCO world heritage record.

“This will help to systematically preserve and manage the history of the so-called comfort women at home and abroad, form a consensus in terms of women’s rights and foster the mood for international solidarity,” the OPC said in a statement.

On the unification front, South Korea is considering holding soccer friendlies in Seoul and Pyongyang as it did to celebrate the 60th anniversary. Wrestling and Taekwondo are among other items being considered for inter-Korean sports exchanges.

It also plans to launch a special express train this summer linking Asia and Europe, called “Eurasia Express.” Some 250 people from the political, economic, academic and cultural circles and ordinary citizens will gather in Seoul on July 14 before flying to Vladivostok and Beijing for a 20-day journey.

Other programs include a joint display of historical records with China, photo exhibitions, a museum on economic development history, music concerts and a science conference.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)