Honoring Bok-Dong Kim Halmoni*, a survivor of Japanese military sexual slavery

Today is Bok-Dong Kim Halmoni’s funeral in South Korea. 

Her funeral will be open to the public as a “citizen’s funeral,” attended by her supporters, who became her de facto extended family.

According to Mee-Hyang Yoon, Chair of the Board of the Korean Council, who stayed by Kim’s side as she took her last breath, Kim expressed “rage toward Japan” and called for the continued fight to receive an official apology from Japan.
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On January 29th, according to the Korea Heard, “South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a condolence message, praising Kim for dedicating her life to revealing hidden aspects of history and restoring the dignity of human beings. ‘Grandmother (Kim Bok-dong) did not remain a victim, but was at the forefront of setting history straight by demanding an apology and legal compensation for Japan’s aggression,’ Moon said on his Facebook page. ‘I will not forget to set history right,’ he said, vowing to fulfill his duty to the 23 living survivors. 
Later in the day, Moon visited the funeral home, where a memorial altar for the deceased was set up, to pay his respects.”

Click here for more information on her legacy from the New York Times. 

Two days ago, the City of Glendale issued an “In Memoriam” honoring her lifetime activism in human rights and advocacy for peace at the City Council meeting. 

*Halmoni means “grandmother” in Korean. The victims are often addressed as “grandmothers” because the young girls and women who were once sex slaves had grown old by the time the inhumane crimes committed against them were made known to the world. Bok-Dong Kim Halmoni often identified herself as a butterfly freely flying, rising from the bondage of suffering.


With deepest condolences,
ESJF