South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed Friday to spotlight the plight of South Korea's last few surviving "comfort women," who suffered under Japan’s military brothel system before and during World War II, in efforts to resolve a dispute with its neighbor over the thorny issue.
The comments were recorded in a message to a 100-strong gathering of activists, government officials, and others in the city of Cheonan to commemorate those the South Koreans say are victims of Japanese wartime sexual violence.
It was the third such memorial day, instituted by Moon's government in 2018, after effectively abandoning a 2015 pact between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Moon's predecessor that had aimed for compensation for the women and an apology.