‘Comfort Women’ monument unveiled in Union City

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A new ‘Comfort Women’ monument at Liberty Plaza, located at the intersection of 30th Street and Palisade Avenue in Union City, was dedicated on Monday. The monument pays homage to the women that were victims of sexual assault at the hands of the Japanese military during World War II. 

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A crowd of approximately 75-100 individuals – consisting of elected officials and Hudson County residents alike – gathered at the Liberty Plaza in Union City, located at the intersection of 30th Street and Palisade Avenue, to celebrate the unveiling of a new “Comfort Women” memorial.

The memorial pays homage to the women that were beaten and sexually abused in Japan during World War II. Lucio Fernandez, the Commissioner of Public Affairs, explained why he felt the memorial was a necessity in Union City. Mayor Brian Stack and State Senator Sandra Cunningham echoed those sentiments.

Ok-Sun Lee,87, and Il Chul Kang, 86, two residents of Korea who flew to Union City for the event, spoke through a translator to to explain the atrocities that were committed against them in World War II, showing disdain for the term “comfort women” and how being sexually assaulted took away their honor and dignity.

After the monument was unveiled, Fernandez, addressing a slew of media, answered specific questions about the history behind the monument. He said he could not confirm or deny that Japanese officials sent a letter to the city decrying the monument being out up, insisting there were issues at hand far larger than that.

Finally, we spoke with Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer about her feelings on the event.


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5 COMMENTS

  1. I was very shocked by the news that 122 Korean women claimed that “we were the U.S. military comfort women”, and sued the class action lawsuit on June 25, 2014.
    http://iamkoream.com/comfort-women-for-u-s-military-sue-south-korean-government/
    http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-07-11/news/sns-rt-us-southkorea-usa-military-20140711_1_u-s-forces-u-s-troops-human-trafficking
    If the issue is a human rights concern for the future of all nations, we should memorialize all comfort women, including females forced into sexual slavery by the USA military and Korean Government itself during and after the Korean War. The USA is very deeply committed to this Korean “comfort women” matter as an assailant of violence against women. We should not be a hypocrite. The Monument should engrave the phrase "We were the U.S. military sex slave too," for human rights of women, the very purpose of this memorial. We have something to do before criticizing the other country’s past.

  2. Actually No historian agree kidnaping Korean women. Even Korean historian deny it.
    And recently Asahi News Paper disclose Seiji Yoshida’s confess was lie.
    It is quite important point. UN and USA evidence is based on Asahi’s articles.

  3. The most recent government survey conducted in October this year tells that out of 100 Japanese, 66 do not feel familiarity toward South Korea. In Japan, “do not feel familiarity” usually means “dislike” or “hate.” You people have done a great job of stoking hatred among ordinary Japanese toward S. Korea.

    Please also note that 122 former comfort women served U.S. soldiers (I repeat “served U.S. soldiers!”) claimed a lawsuit and a first trial was held on December 19 in Seoul.

    False Accusations of Comfort Women
    http://www.howitzer.jp/korea/page03.html

  4. Korean activists in the US achieved great success in instigating and stoking the fire of hatred between Japan and S. Korea. Japanese companies’ direct investment in S. Korea in 2014 dropped by 45% of that of 2012. The number of Japanese tourists visiting S. Korea in 2014 dropped to 2/3 compared to that of 2014. There is end of this decreasing in sight.

    It is not PM Abe who created this situation. It is South Korean people who caused Japanese to hate them. Americans, who cooperate with S. Koreans in their defamation campaign against Japan, should have some lion’s share in creating this situation.

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