S Korean academic pleads not guilty to defaming 'comfort women'

Good for her!

I agree with her fighting it and agree with her thoughts on comfort women.

Professor Park deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. The courage she has shown in presenting the truth about an issue that has been stretched far from reality and turned into a political tool rather than an issue of the exploitation of women. That the "mainstream" historians swallowed the fallacious arguments are the result of the "mainstream" media and news sources buying into it, never questioning the ample evidence that exists suggesting that Professor Park is correct.

More govt overreach in the people's democratic republic of SOUTH korea. An idea cannot be defamed. If she named actual names of some of the comfort women, maybe.

Good on her for writing this. There's more than one side to a story, and it's important people hear what Professor Park has to say.

Shame on the South Korean government. Even if she is a lunatic, she should have the right to express her own fantasies. The court shouldn't be involved.

I know that many Japanese honor kamikaze pilots, the idiots who committed war crimes. However, those Japanese should have the right to express their own fantasies, honoring kamikaze idiots or lunatics without the government interference.

JohnY921JAN. 21, 2016 - 11:35AM JST

I know that many Japanese honor kamikaze pilots, the idiots who committed war crimes. However, those Japanese should have the right to express their own fantasies, honoring kamikaze idiots or lunatics without the government interference.

How is attacking an enemy solider, or a ship, a "warcrime"? A lot of those"idiots" were forced to fly into their deaths, in case you didn't know.

Park Yu-Ha, “The Comfort Women of the Empire” is a unflinchingly harsh dispassionate investigation. The prose brutally confrontational. No political sensitivity is spared, least of all for the 'comfort women'.

Professor Park could certainly be accused of lacking any conscience in the manner or nature her work would inflict emotional pain or suffering . Devoid of humane feeling Yes, defamatory No.

I admire Professor Park courage to confront and cross subject boundaries, challenge historic perceptions, in effect walk where many would fear to tread. Doesn't necessarily follow using perceived home truths, judgment or opinion trumps 'a gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger' approach......

English Translation of Comfort Women Articles by Scholars - Summary of Professor Park Yuha's Book "Comfort Women of the Empire"

http://scholarsinenglish.blogspot.jp/2014/10/summary-of-professor-park-yuhas-book.html

Whilst I am all for freedom of speech and freedom of press, sometimes you just have to switch your 'this could be problematic for me' radar on. Being Korean, she would have known what a very sensitive subject this is, and even though I believe in freedom of press this was a bad subject to publish, particularly in Korea. I liken it in a way to the Charlie Hebdo publication in France. Charlie Hebdo triumphs freedom of press but it also insults many religions.

Just what the uyoku would have prayed for ... a new poster-girl, almost as if sent on some divine winds.

"Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women...." This is simply not true. The range is 20,000 to 410,000. The 200,000 figure was apparently popularized by the claims of Yoshida Seiji, the hoaxer whose reports were finally repudiated by the Asahi Shinbun in August, 2014 although "mainstream historians" had demonstrated that Yoshida's claims were bogus in the early 90s.

There is in fact only one (very left wing) historian who has given a 200,000 estimate: Yoshimi Yoshiaki. But, he has also given other numbers.

The various estimates of the few historians who have actually done serious research on the comfort women can be found at http://www.awf.or.jp/e1/facts-07.html

""Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women...." is a journalistic meme. It is not an accurate representation of research in this area.

bullfighter JAN. 21, 2016 - 02:10PM JST There is in fact only one (very left wing) historian who has given a 200,000 estimate: Yoshimi Yoshiaki. But, he has also given other numbers.

Mr. Yoshimi, a historian said "Between 50,000 and 200,000 women from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and elsewhere were tricked or coerced into sexual slavery". The actual figure should be somewhere in the middle. And what happened to him after Mr. Yoshimi went public by telling Asahi Shimbun? The attention led to constant years of harassment from the right wing, he said, including nightly phone calls.

Of the half-dozen documents Mr. Yoshimi, historian had discovered, the most damning was a notice written on March 4, 1938, by the adjutant to the chiefs of staff of the North China Area Army and Central China Expeditionary Force. Titled “Concerning the Recruitment of Women for Military Comfort Stations,” the notice said that “armies in the field will control the recruiting of women,” and that “this task will be performed in close cooperation with the military police or local police force of the area.” (source: NYtimes)

Sadly it's all very typical. They perceive Japan as being attacked by outside forces and thus rally to defend Japan's honor, but either don't want to shatter the illusion that exists within Japan that Japan was a victim rather than a belligerent in the war, or just refuse or can't be bothered to turn those same sights and do serious self criticism of their domestic education system and its myriad deep flaws when it comes to WWII education. Either way you cut it, it's not pretty, and a sad state of affairs.

It seems the J-government has now changed its tactics by enlisting these guys in its efforts to whitewash and rewrite history. These "historians" and "scholars" are just toeing the Japanese government line, so they seem to have no integrity or independence. Japan may be successful in using intimidation, fear, coercion and bullying to suppress truth and promote self-censorship at home. Should we be surprised at Abe and his wanting to "restore the honor" of the militarists? His Grandfather was one of them, and his father took over his Grandfathers seat in the Diet. It makes no difference if a person in IJA uniform directly recruited these poor women or the military hid behind a third party such as private-sector brokers to give itself plausible deniability. The end result is the same and cowardly hiding behind a third-party does not absolve the Japanese military of such crimes.

Let's get one thing straight. Most governments, including Japan, are pretty certain that there were comfort women victims. Let's not pretend that it didn't happen. So let's give some respect and not start writing books about how these women were encouraging it. I'm sure there were prostitutes at the time, but there were also comfort women victims. The book shouldnt have been written out of respect.

IMO, academics should be allowed to state their opinions and beliefs without having to worry about de facto censorship, especially when they state their views in an honest and responsible manner. That the subject matter is highly charged emotionally does not, or should not, mean that it cannot be discussed.

This kind of prosecution against a scholar on academic paper will never brought into court in democratic nations.

In South Korea, truth is not a defense. It is almost irrelevant. Any expression, true or untrue, is OK as long as the expression is made for the interest of the public. If you say some truth in South Korea, and if the words damage the reputation of someone, you will be put in jail, unless you prove that you said the truth for the interest of the public.

Dr Park is correct in her research. Those who oppose the book are those who are easy persuaded by propaganda and never bother to do research themselves

Here is the Korean law, and see how truth is not a defense.

Republic of Korea, Penal Code http://www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=138767#0000

제307조(명예훼손) ① 공연히 사실을 적시하여 사람의 명예를 훼손한 자는 2년 이하의 징역이나 금고 또는 500만원 이하의 벌금에 처한다. ②공연히 허위의 사실을 적시하여 사람의 명예를 훼손한 자는 5년 이하의 징역, 10년 이하의 자격정지 또는 1천만원 이하의 벌금에 처한다.

(translation)

Article 307 1 Anyone who publicly shows truth and thereby damage reputation of someone else shall be punished by 2 years or less in prison or 5 million won or less of fine.

2 Anyone who publicly shows untruth and thereby damage reputation of someone else shall be punished 5 years or less in prison, 10 years or less of disqualification or 5 million won or less of fine.

제310조(위법성의 조각) 제307조제1항의 행위가 진실한 사실로서 오로지 공공의 이익에 관한 때에는 처벌하지 아니한다.

(translation)

Article 310 If the truth alleged by the act defined in Article 307 Paragraph 1 is for the public interest only, the act shall not be punished.

The Political agenda dictates that one toxic overriding obsession that Professor Park touches upon is "Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery" or "Chong Dae Hyup", and the Uyoku Dantai/ Yūkoku Dōshikai dictate is that both Governments must hate with perfect hatred and count them mine enemies.

No deal will be enough for the "Chong Dae Hyup" to right past wrongs, it retribution and nothing else, total capitulation, shame, indignity, disgrace, for generations to come.

The "Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery" absolutely insist that present generations must , acknowledge the war crime, reveal the truth in its entirety about the crimes of military sexual slavery, make an official apology, make legal reparations, punish those responsible for war crimes, accurately record the crime in history textbooks, and erect a memorial for the victims of military slavery and establish a historical museum.

This not the government of Japan, it is the people of Japan. No more no less. The Korean council put up what it called the “Peace Statue” a bronze statue of a young girl that directly faces the Japanese Embassy for a single purpose to fan the flame of discontent, aggravate frustration and install a sense of being dispossessed and humiliated by the incumbent Government of the Republic of Korea as much as the Government of Japan.

https://www.womenandwar.net/contents/general/general.nx?page_str_menu=2101

"The Comfort Women" by Professor C. Sarah Soh is another academic criticizing the South Korean activist group "Korean Council"

http://scholarsinenglish.blogspot.jp/2014/10/the-comfort-women-by-chunghee-sarah-soh.html

It makes no difference if a person in IJA uniform directly recruited these poor women or the military hid behind a third party such as private-sector brokers to give itself plausible deniability. The end result is the same and cowardly hiding behind a third-party does not absolve the Japanese military of such crimes.

It is wrong for Koreans to accuse Japan when it was Koreans themselves (Korean brokers who else?) who recruited Korean women. Probably Father of Preasident Park (Mr Takagi) was in charge of Korean people.

Prof. Park suggested that the comfort women issue is more complex than it first seemed but doesn't deny that it happened.

This sentence pretty much sums it up:

"Park suggested the reality was more complex, with some of the women volunteering—though without necessarily knowing what their eventual fate would be."

How they ended up there is more complex, but they ended up there.

This is actually very newsworthy with respect to the "Comfort Women Issue". Yet the world's news media who are quick to jump on anything anti-Japan are ignoring this monumental story. Why is that?

From 2013: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/08/13/national/koreans-war-brothel-diaries-offer-new-details/#.UyWPCLmKBDw

MikeRowaveJan. 21, 2016 - 12:41PM JST "How is attacking an enemy solider, or a ship, a "warcrime"? A lot of those"idiots" were forced to fly into their deaths, in case you didn't know."

Mike, you are correct. I meant to say that those idiots were manipulated by the war criminals, committing war crime against their neighbors out of ignorance. They shouldn't be classified as war criminals; they were just poor idiots.

She a typical turncoat in Korean society. They always exist in colonial contexts. This is a very well worn narrative in Korea.