WEBZINE NORTHEAST ASIAN HISTORY FOUNDATION

The History of Nationalism, War, Sexual Violence, and the Issue of Japanese Military ‘Comfort Women’ August 14th of this year marked the 11th World Memorial Day for the Japanese military ‘comfort women’, designated by the Asia Solidarity Conference for the resolution of the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ issue, as well as the 6th Memorial Day for the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ victims designated by the South Korean government. On August 14, 1991, South Korean victim Kim Haksoon gave her first public testimony, firmly establishing the ‘comfort women’ issue as a matter of war crimes and colonial rule responsibility. Since then, women from war-affected regions caused by Japan, including South Korea, Taiwan, North Korea, China, the Netherlands, and Indonesia, have come forward as survivors of these atrocities. Furthermore, the issue of sexual violence during the Yugoslav War and Rwandan Genocide since 1990 has become interconnected with the ‘comfort women’ issue, being ‘recognized’ as a war crime. In addition, discussions have also included instances of sexual violence by Nazi Germany during World War II and sexual violence around US military bases after the end of the war. About this, global scholars have evaluated that the testimonies of ‘comfort women’ victims have led to a complete restructuring of the global historical perception of wartime sexual violence, focusing on the experiences of the victims. Moreover, when the issue of Japanese military comfort women was a focal point of international public discussion, it seemed as though a resolution might be imminent. In 1993, the Japanese government released the Kono Statement, admitting that the Japanese military and government were directly or indirectly involved in the establishment of comfort facilities and the mobilization of ‘comfort women’. They also promised to make significant efforts to restore the honor of Asian women who had ‘suffered against their will’. In August 1995, Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi issued a statement apologizing for Japan’s past invasion and colonial rule of Asia. Both South Korea and Japan also had a bond of sympathy in acknowledging the need for national efforts toward truth ascertainment, commemorative projects, and educational activities for future generations.

Park Jeong-ae, a Research Fellow at the Korea-Japan Historical Affairs Research Institute, Foundation

일본군‘위안부’ 생존자로부터 배운 용기로, 전쟁과 성폭력의 관계에 대해 꾸준히 질문하다

Continuously Questioning the Relationship between War and Sexual Violence with the Courage taken from Japanese Military ‘Comfort Women’ Survivors. Historian Regina Muhlhauser is a senior researcher at the Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Academy and Culture and one of the founders of the international research group (www.warandgender.net). Her main research topics include issues such as armed conflict, gender violence, and sexuality with a particular interest in the study of sexual aggression during World War II, not only by aggressor countries like Germany and Japan but also by Allied forces. She believes that to prevent sexual violence and respect women's rights, it is crucial to shift global citizens' awareness and listen to the voices of local activists and victims, beyond holding the aggressor nations accountable.

Interviewee: Regina Muhlhauser Senior Researcher, Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Culture Interviewer: Park Jung-ae, Research Fellow at the Korea-Japan Historical Affairs Research Institute, Foundation

Monetary System and Finance during the Japanese Colonial Period Large-scale mobilization of funds was essential in modern capitalism, and banks were the typical institutions responsible for this. As a late capitalist country, Japan needed to develop capitalism as quickly as possible but then realized the difficulties of doing so with private capital alone. In situations of limited access to private capital, the Japanese government established various specialized financial institutions around the 1900s to facilitate state-led capitalist development. These specialized financial institutions were banks established by special laws for specific purposes, each established by its laws or ordinances. These institutions were designed to manage long-term funds or cater to specific sectors like agriculture, industry, and trade, handling operations that were challenging for conventional banks to effectively oversee.

Jo Myung-geun, Professor of History at Yeungnam University

The Korean Wave and Korean Studies in the UK The global popularity of contemporary Korean culture is a widely recognized and frequently observed phenomenon. As the Korean Wave has spread globally, perceptions of Korea and Korean culture have generally improved across various countries. For instance, there was extensive coverage in the UK media regarding the Korean Wave exhibition held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. One interesting aspect of the Korean Wave is that it started with an interest in K-POP or Korean dramas, and soon developed into a broader interest in Korean culture and a desire to learn the Korean language. Today, advancements in IT have functioned, enabling younger generations to take an interest in the Korean Wave and learn Korean on their own. Moreover, there has been a significant increase in the number of young individuals aspiring to study Korea and the Korean language for academic degrees at universities. This phenomenon is not limited to the UK; it can be observed globally. The changing perception of Korea has significantly changed the position of Koreanology within British higher education. Koreanology, which was long overshadowed by Sinology and Japanology, has now become the most popular department, attracting the largest number of students. Many universities have established Koreanology programs, and developing them has become a strategic choice where they already exist. When it comes to humanities research, the number of faculty members engaged in research activities is typically determined by the number of students in university. The Korean Wave boom and the popularity of Koreanology have changed the academic environment, not only in terms of education but also in terms of research. Universities now have the capacity to hire more research-active faculty members for existing Koreanology or establish new programs. In addition, as awareness of Korea and its role in the field has grown, in other academic field such as history, filmology, and geography, they are hiring researchers to study Korean-related topics.

Anders Karlsson, Director of the SOAS Center of Koreanology at the University of London

Did Folk Wrestling Begin during Goguryeo Era? On the walls of tomb chambers for corpses in the Gakjeochong Tomb, there still remain the oldest folk wrestling scenes in our country. For this reason, North Koreans call this tomb the wrestling tomb, using the word ‘wrestling’ instead of the term ‘Gakjeo’, which refers to martial arts like wrestling. The murals vividly depict two wrestlers exerting all their strength to topple each other in a fierce battle, Korean wrestling. One of the wrestlers, fully engrossed in the wrestling match, is a person from the countries bordering Western China, recognizable by his hooked nose and big eyes, while the other is an ordinary Goguryeo man. The two strong men place their heads against each other’s left shoulders and push their right shoulders into the opponent’s left chest. They stretched both hands to grab the thigh band around the waistband of the opponent’s pants on his back and push one leg into the other’s thigh near his groin, striving to lift or push their opponent with all their might. The mural effectively conveys their intense struggle, with their mouths wide open, and their breath visible in the depiction, as if their beards were blowing in the wind. Their bodies probably were beaded with sweat.

Jeon Hotae, Professor of History and Culture at University of Ulsan

Different Meaning of the Moon: Comparison of Korea’s Chuseok and China’s Zhong Qiu Jie In 1996, Chinese scholar Xiong Fei claimed that Zhong Qiu Jie originated from Silla, citing Ennin’s 『The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law, Ennin's Diary』. However, in the year 2000, Yang Lin denied the Silla-origin theory, stating, “Given that Zhong Qiu Jie was already in existence and the Tang Dynasty was in a culturally dominant position, it is unlikely that they would have imported a traditional holiday from a smaller state like Silla.” In 2003, Liu Dezeng revived the Silla-origin theory, arguing, “Zhong Qiu Jie cannot be considered a traditional holiday due to its limited participation, and Silla’s traditional holiday influenced the Tang people, who had a penchant for foreign customs.” In 2008, Huang Tao criticized the Silla-origin theory once again, asserting, “Zhong Qiu Jie originated from the Tang Dynasty’s custom of appreciating the moon”. He also claimed that “we need to point out that the inclusion of Korea’s Dano national holiday as a UNESCO in 2005 intangible cultural heritage of humanity raises the alarm for China’s cultural heritage protection, and we should be cautious about the debate on the origin of the Mid-autumn festival (Korea’s Chuseok and China’s Zhong Qiu Jie)”.

Kim Inhee, Director of the Korea-China Relations Institute, Foundation

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