UN rapporteur to meet with sex slave, rights-violation victims in Korea

U.N. Special Rapporteur for Truth, Justice and Reparation Fabian Salvioli meets Lee Yong-soo, a 93-year-old activist who was sexually enslaved by the Japanese military during World War II, at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Seoul, June 9. Yonhap

U.N. Special Rapporteur for Truth, Justice and Reparation Fabian Salvioli has arrived in Korea for meetings with victims who suffered human rights violations connected to the country's colonial and authoritarian legacies, officials said Thursday.

During his eight-day visit that started Wednesday, the special rapporteur will examine progress made in redressing the legacy of serious human rights violations committed during Japan's colonial rule, the Korean War and the country's authoritarian period.

Based on the results, he will compile a report to be presented to the Human Rights Council in September 2023.

Late Thursday, Salvioli was scheduled to meet with Lee Yong-soo, a 93-year-old activist who was sexually enslaved by the Japanese military during World War II, and the head of the biggest civic group fighting for "comfort women" victims, according to officials from the group.

Also Thursday, the rapporteur will hold meetings with Koreans adopted in the U.S. and Denmark as children in the 1970s and a civic group for the victims of a 1948 civilian massacre on the island of Jeju, as well as families of people who died under the past authoritarian rule here and remain unaccounted for.

On Friday, he will meet with victims of fabricated espionage charges as well as others victimized under past authoritarian governments.

From Saturday to Sunday, Salvioli will make a visit to the sites of the May 18 democratization uprising in 1980 in the southern city of Gwangju as well as other historic areas where human rights violations occurred.

According to the officials, Salvioli also plans to meet with government officials during the visit, including the head of the state Truth and Reconciliation Commission. (Yonhap)

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