Since the testimony in 1991 from Kim Hak Soon, a victim of Imperial Japan's military sexual slavery, other victims (referred to as "comfort women") around the world have been struggling to achieve justice for this terrible crime. Although 30 years have passed since the first testimony, this problem has yet to be resolved and only 13 victims remain. These victims deserve a sincere apology from the current government of Japan, who needs to clearly acknowledge that this war crime took place, before it is too late. Korea University’s (KU) club Pyeonghwa Nabi (which means “peace butterfly”) has taken the lead in responding to Japan’s failure to acknowledge its violent past.

 KU’s Pyeonghwa Nabi, also known as Godae Nabi (which means “KU butterfly”), belongs to a national network of clubs with the same name. This network is made up of 400 students across various regions of Korea, including Seoul, Jeju, Busan, and Chungcheong Province. It carries out systematic activities in order to send a powerful message to the current Japanese government to address its past military sexual slavery. Students who are interested in this issue are welcome to join and participate in the various projects, lectures, and campaigns led by the club.

 Remembrance Beyond Compensation

 According to Pyeonghwa Nabi, their motto “Peace, Remember, Together” incorporates their vision of learning from history in order to seek a desirable future. They desire to inform more college students about the necessity of understanding the history of Japan’s actions and encourage them to participate in correcting the distortion of reality. They believe that problems can only be solved together and that combined efforts will help resolve this issue. They intend to solve the problem regarding Japanese military sexual slavery by proving that an indomitable will and a sense of solidarity can arise from the most pained hearts.

 Pyeonghwa Nabi has three main goals: protect the honor and recover the rights of the victims, force the Japanese government to acknowledge the sexual slavery in the past, and promote peace in the current world. They do not regard this as controversy from the past; they claim that the fundamental problem stems from discrimination and hatred, which will continue in the future unless they are completely resolved right now. With this in mind, Pyeonghwa Nabi will continue to pursue these goals even after all the victims pass away.

 To gain more insight about Pyeonghwa Nabi, The Granite Tower (GT) interviewed the head of the club, Kim Soo Young (’20, Health Policy and Management).

GT: Are there any advantages in becoming a member of the national unit of Pyeonghwa Nabi?

Kim: The biggest advantage is that we can hold large-scale events nationwide and actively interact with other regions and universities. We held an academic symposium last summer and organized a cultural festival on August 14, the Memorial Day for Japanese military sexual slavery. These events were especially meaningful in that each branch combined its unique characteristics to pursue a single goal. Working with the eight branches operated by universities in Seoul, we held joint exhibitions and a number of Wednesday demonstrations in spring to demand a righteous resolution to the issue. In the fall, we are planning a joint meeting of all the branches during the campaign so that our voices can resonate. Through these activities, all branches hope to serve each other.

GT: How are the activities in the first and second semesters different, and what activities is Pyeonghwa Nabi planning to do this semester?

Kim: First of all, Godae Nabi holds regular online seminars at 7 P.M. every Tuesday to read and discuss the curriculum created by our branch and the national Pyeonghwa Nabi network. Also, we share information about international efforts made to deal with the issue of the Japanese military’s sexual slavery, and we plan various projects and campaigns based on this discussion. In the first semester, we held a Pyeonghwa Nabi exhibition, a relay Wednesday demonstration, and an exchange event with Yeondae Nabi (which means “Yonsei University butterfly”).

 This semester, we have been engaging in activities to publicize the problems of Japanese military sexual slavery and the agreement between Korea and Japan in advance of the presidential election. On September 17, we held the Butterfly Flagging campaign on the KU campus, and from October 3 to 9, we ran campaigns to inform KU students about the issue and receive supportive messages. We have also been preparing an on-campus exhibition starting in November in remembrance of the comfort women with a So-nyeo statue (which is also referred to as the Stature of Peace) performance, which depicts the victims when they were young girls.

GT: Were there any memorable experiences you had while hosting these events?

Kim: On September 17, we held the Butterfly Flagging campaign and informed students of varying nationalities about the seriousness of the Japanese military sexual slavery. I remember a student who told me that she visited the funeral of Kim Bok Dong, a victim of this slavery. Also, there was a Japanese student who learned of this issue for the first time, and another Japanese student who passionately argued that the Japanese government must apologize for this issue. I realized that if we could change the attitudes of Koreans, this may also affect the Japanese. Thus, these campaigns might help change the perceptions of Japanese society.

GT: What kind of students should apply for Pyeonghwa Nabi? Is there any requirement or mindset that applicants should have?

Kim: Pyeonghwa Nabi is open to any student who is interested in the issue regarding Japanese military sexual slavery, even if that interest is minimal at the moment. Because we aim to discuss and share opinions in a free and equal atmosphere, the only rule to follow during the activities is that there should be no discriminatory words or actions against the victims of this issue. Other than that, we are open to any and all discussions.