The city of Glendale, California, fighting a lawsuit that seeks to remove a "comfort women" memorial from one of its parks, has received statements of support from two Korean women recounting their experiences of being forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers.

The Korean American Forum of California (KAFC) said Tuesday in front of a U.S. Central District of California courthouse that the advocacy group submitted the declarations by Lee Ok-seon, 87, and Kang Il-chul, 85, along with its application to appear in court in support of the city.

"In this lawsuit, Gingery vs. City of Glendale, the plaintiffs seek to silence the voices of these women and of the people like the Korean American Forum of California that are advocating for them and for remembrance of their history and the tragedies that happened during World War II," KAFC lawyer Catherine Sweetser said.