SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - South Korea held simultaneous memorial services in Seoul and Busan to honor Koreans who were conscripted into forced labor under Japanese colonial rule.
At the ceremonies, religious leaders from Buddhism, Catholicism and Protestant Christianity offered rites of comfort to the victims and their families. Officials, civic leaders and ordinary citizens laid flowers and burned incense, while a student choir and traditional musician Oh Jung-hae performed commemorative pieces.
Historians estimate that some 7.8 million Koreans were mobilized — many sent to mines, factories and battlefields in Japan and across the empire from 1938 to 1945. Others were forced into military service or compelled to serve as “comfort women” in wartime brothels. Conditions were harsh, and countless workers never returned home.
It was not until 2005 that the South Korean government began a formal investigation into the scale of forced mobilization. Since then, Seoul has launched support programs for surviving victims and their families, along with annual commemorations.
This year’s memorials carried particular weight, taking place on the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation in 1945.
reporter
Cho Bo-hee
jobo@ajupress.com
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