Sex slavery activist Youn under fire for not sharing details of settlement with victims

Kim Tae-hoon, a representative of Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea, unveils a document from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about meetings between Youn Mee-hyang, former head of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, and a ministry official ahead of the 2015 agreement between Korea and Japan on settling the sex slavery incident, at the organization's office in southern Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Youn Mee-hyang, a sex slavery activist-turned-lawmaker, is once again under fire for not being up front about what she knew and when she knew it, regarding a controversial 2015 settlement deal between Korea and Japan on the historical issue.

New evidence shows she was informed of the settlement ahead of its official announcement. Previously, she was accused of keeping the details of the agreement a secret from the victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery.

Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea (LHUK) unveiled four documents detailing the talks between Youn and an official in charge of Northeast Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday. The documents suggest that Youn had known the details of the settlement before it was released.

The lawyers' organization filed an information disclosure suit against the ministry, and the ministry said it hopes that the document will clarify factual grounds of the controversy regarding the agreement.

According to the LHUK, Youn, then the head of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, met with the foreign ministry official four times, including on Dec. 27, 2015, the day before the agreement was declared, and was informed of the details of the agreement.

Explaining the document, the ministry official mentioned the three main actions of Japan that the country regrets concerning wartime sex slavery, adding that the Japanese prime minister will officially apologize and saying that Japan will provide 1 billion yen to the foundation for the victims.

The document had some parts redacted, including Youn's response to the ministry official, as the court designated the range of information to be released.

Activist-turned-lawmaker Youn Mee-hyang, left, and surviving wartime sex slavery victim Lee Yong-soo / Korea Times file

However, Youn refuted the LHUK the same day, saying she had contacted the foreign ministry during the negotiation process and shared the details with the victims, but that she did not know the exact details of the final agreement. Youn claimed that the revealed documents only reaffirm that she did not know the details of Korea's statement, over which she raised questions.

The Korean side's statement mentioned that the agreement would resolve the wartime sex slavery issue finally and irreversibly, that the Korean government would cooperate on removing the "comfort woman" memorial statue in front of the former site of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul and that it would refrain from confronting Japan over this issue in the international community in the future. Youn described these provisions as "humiliating."

Despite Youn's claims, the former activist is not supported by all surviving sex slavery victims. Lee Yong-soo, a 94-year-old survivor of Japan's sexual exploitation, reasserted her claims after the LHUK's unveiling that Youn had not informed the victims of Japan's settlement in advance.

"Youn should have shared the details of the settlement with the victims, but she didn't because she knew the victims would oppose the settlement. That is why Youn keeps lying," Lee said.

Youn is currently on trial for alleged embezzlement of public donations to the sex slavery victims.

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