An Interview with “WeHope” on Comfort Women

The rise of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is appalling and disheartening. As an Asian woman myself with a Thai mother, I can’t help but feel an ache inside when I see the elderly being battered (and worse) by racists. Our sincerest condolences to those who have lost the family members due to hatred. Please consider donating to the following organizations and families, or share the resources and raise awareness. 

Last week, I was able to sit down with Northeastern student Jin Kim, who is part of an organization called We Hope with the goal of raising awareness regarding Comfort Women. During World War II, Comfort Women were victims of human trafficking by the Imperial Japanese Army. These women were predominately from South Korea and China, but victims came from all over South East Asia and even Europe. The accurate number of victims is being debated, but it ranges from 50,000 to 200,000 women. The victims were kidnapped and forced to become sex slaves at brothels in Japan from as young as 8 years old. Some of these victims are still alive today and able to recount their stories.

* The following interview talks about sexual violence and human trafficking. Please be advised that it may be uncomfortable before proceeding.

Thank you for meeting with me today, albeit virtually! To get things rolling, can you introduce yourself and your organization?

Yes, hello! I am Jin and I am a fourth-year International Affairs major, with the minors of Global Entrepreneurship and Art. I am on the Board of Directors of an organization called We Hope! [It] is an organization that focuses on human rights, specifically the rights of Comfort Women, who were captives as sex slaves during WWII by the Japanese Imperial Army.

How long has the organization been going on?

We initially started as a united club across different campuses in Massachusetts in 2017, but we’ve been registered as a Non-Profit Organization in Massachusetts in 2019. 

What are the main goals of We Hope? What do you hope to achieve?

We Hope’s mission statement is that we are an NPO that is working to build The Statue of Peace in Boston for Comfort Women victims and to raise awareness of this serious violation of Human Rights. 

(Note: The Statue of Peace, also known as The Statue of Girl (direct translation from Korean), is a statue in memoriam of the victims of this war crime who were taken from a young age. The most common statue is a girl sitting wearing a traditional Korean uniform, or Hanbok. There are multiple statues of peace all over South Korean, and quite a few in the US, such as in Virginia, California, and Michigan amongst other locations.)

We are currently petitioning for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to inaugurate [one] here in Boston as a tool to raise awareness on the history and current-day impact of Comfort Women. These women’s cases aren’t rare by any means; even in today’s modern society the issue of human trafficking and sexual violence is astronomical, and if we forget history or continue to ignore it, we allow it to repeat itself quietly. To reduce the Comfort Women’s issue to a mere political issue between South Korea and Japan is minimizing sexual violence as a whole. 

And what is the significance of America specifically implementing these statues of peace?

This is a shared problem amongst all communities regardless of where the community is. Comfort Women weren’t just limited to Korean women; there are documented Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, Australian and Dutch women amongst many others who were enslaved as well. America, being one of the powerhouse countries that loves to pride itself on its ‘melting pot of cultures, and with a large Korean American community, should raise awareness of this human rights violation. We can’t forget history and we can’t not teach and showcase history properly. Regarding Boston specifically, it should have this statue as this is one of the more culturally diverse locations and one of the cities with major powerhouse universities such as MIT and Harvard, however, misinformation spread by faculty and researchers from these institutions regarding Comfort Women is morphing history and degrading the victims. 

Is there a specific example in mind of misinformation about Comfort Women released by someone in Boston?

Yes! Recently, a law professor at Harvard University named J. Mark Ramseyer (official title Mitsubishi Professor of Japanese Legal Studies) published a paper that concluded that Comfort Women were voluntary prostitutes during the war. That is preposterous. Added to this horrible lie of a paper the fact that he is backed by Mitsubishi, a Japanese corporation, is disgraceful. The fact that the paper went through probably numerous Harvard faculty members, editors and publishers from the journal itself before being released and not one person corrected or argued against the paper is… disappointing to say the least. This is why we need the Statues of Peace. People will try to alter our history and degrade the victims’ trauma to pamper up their own appearance. And wallets… allegedly. Issues with an Asian figure oftentimes get shoved away just because it is classified as an “Asian” problem and it is not okay. 

That’s a great point! Especially nowadays with the rise of violence against the AAPI community, it’s becoming apparent issues specifically regarding Asian women are oftentimes brushed aside because of fetishization. Do you think that plays a role here?

Oh definitely! Asian women have been sexualized, fetishized, and infantilized throughout history. Framing Comfort Women as women who made the choice to become sex workers rather than forced into sex slavery is a calculated tactic. Personally, as a Korean woman who’s studied abroad in a few different countries with a very diverse environment, I can 100% say that Asian women are fetishized and are treated very strangely. People like to say the hate started with COVID-19 when in reality it’s always been there, it’s just come up to the surface now. 

Oh for sure, racism didn’t begin with the former president calling it the “Kung-Flu,” it began way prior to that. 

Exactly, it’s like water being poured into a large cup that’s halfway filled. There was always water there, but you didn’t realize how much water there was—or how big the cup is—until it started to overflow. For instance, what I’ve found is that a lot of white men tend to treat me like they are doing me a favor at all times when they’re really not. And they act as though they are superior to me on the basis that I am an Asian woman and we are these inferior and obedient beings that need their help and dominance to do anything. It’s not obvious to see but it’s always there.

Yes and that is what we call ✨ microaggressions ✨  and it is just rooted in racism and sexism. 

The dynamic between working with all white men in a group project versus when I work with a diverse group instead is completely different. And I’m way more uncomfortable in the former situation than others. Asians have experienced so much racism on both a macro and a micro level but we’ve kept quieter, not silent but quieter, compared to other minority groups, but I think that’s definitely changing for the better.

Well Jin, thank you so much for meeting with me today and educating me about the issue of Comfort Women. Do you have any last words to share with either the AAPI community during this time or to anyone who’s reading? 

Yes, to my fellow Asian community members, please take care of yourselves and each other. And to everyone, please don’t be bystanders in these cases. Stand up for what is right and be actually anti-racist. We will get through this but only if we come together to help Stop Asian Hate. With regards to We Hope, please do follow our Instagram (@WeHopeBoston) and sign our petition to help spread awareness about Comfort Women and place a Statue of Peace in Boston.

• comfort women
• korean
• Sexual Violence
• statues