The civil group of "Justice Memory Solidarity" and the Progressive Party of the Republic of Korea (ROK) staged a rally outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul on Wednesday, protesting against Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent wrongful remarks which pose a threat to peace throughout East Asia.
Since January 8, 1992, the civil group has organized weekly protests every Wednesday in front of the Japanese embassy to urge the Japanese government to confront and reflect on its historical actions regarding the comfort women issue.
During Wednesday's gathering, they condemned Takaichi for her erroneous remarks.
Takaichi on November 7 made blatant and provocative remarks on Taiwan at the Diet, claiming that a Taiwan contingency could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, and implying that Japan might invoke the so-called "right to collective self-defense" for armed intervention across the Taiwan Strait.
"Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi's recent statements have intensified tensions in the surrounding area," said Shin Mi-yeon, spokesperson for the Progressive Party.
"I think to claim that another nation's territory directly affects one's own national security reflects an imperialistic mindset," she added.
At the rally, Gang Kyung-ran, director of the Solidarity and Movement Department of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, said that attention must be paid to the threats posed by Takaichi's comments to peace in China and even the Northeast Asia at large.
Gang also called on the ROK government to focus more on addressing historical issues.
"With Takaichi's assumption of office as the Japanese prime minister, we hope that the Lee Jae-myung administration will not only focus on future ROK-Japan cooperation, but also address historical issues and play a significant role in resolving them," she said.
Civil group, party members protest Japanese PM's wrongful remarks in Seoul
Civil group, party members protest Japanese PM's wrongful remarks in Seoul
