Five women, wearing vests reading: “Honor & Human Right to Halmeoni (Grandmothers)” called on the Japanese government and military to apologize for forcing them, and thousands of other women, into sexual slavery in World War II. Supported by a crowd of 3,000 at the 1000th such protest, they also demanded that the South Korean government resolve the issue.
The protests began in January 1992, when a group of the formerly enslaved women peacefully protested the visit of Japan’s then-Prime Minister, Kiicki Miyazawa. Since then, the Wednesday protests have become known worldwide. A bronze statute of a Korean girl wearing the traditional hanbok was placed in the same location as previous 999 protests—across the street from the Japanese Embassy. The women said they would return to their protest, and the statute, next Wednesday, likely without fanfare or cameras.
Compiled from: Woo, Jaeyeon, Tears, Gratitude, and Anger Mark the 1,000th Protest, Korea Realtime: Blog of the Wall Street Journal (16 December 2011).