Her pained expression speaks volumes. The Comfort Women Column of Strength is a powerful sculpture. It captures the suffering of Hak Soon Kim. In 1991 she became the first sex slave survivor to speak out.
She gazes at three young women. They stand on a pedestal. They join hands. They represent Korea China and the Philippines.
The monument tells a story. It is about the Comfort Women. This was a euphemism. It was used for young women from thirteen Asian countries. They were forced into sex slavery. They served Japanese soldiers. This happened before and during WWII. It lasted from 1931 to 1945.
The Comfort Women Column of Strength stands in St. Mary’s Square. It is on the edge of Chinatown. The monument leaves a lasting impact. A nearby placard summarizes the ugly historic truth.
In 1991 thirty-seven women’s groups from Korea came forward. They brought the issue to light. Wartime atrocities impacted many women. Hundreds of thousands of women and girls were affected. They were from across Asia. Japanese soldiers occupied these countries. Many enslaved women died in captivity.
The Comfort Women Justice Coalition commissioned the memorial. It was a two-year project. It cost 205000 dollars. After its unveiling Osaka Japan was incensed. Osaka was San Francisco’s sister city. It cut off its 60-year relationship. San Francisco leaders refused to remove the memorial. They agreed that wartime sex trafficking is a crime against humanity. Steven Whyte created the Comfort Women Column of Strength.
The Comfort Women Column of Strength is ten feet tall. It shows three girls. One is Chinese. One is Korean. One is Filipina. They stand on a pedestal. They hold hands. On the ground below stands a grandmother. She symbolizes survivors seeking justice.
Historians estimate 200000 women were forced into brothels. The brothels were run by the Japanese military. The women were from occupied countries. These countries included Korea China and the Philippines. Survivors only began speaking publicly in the 1990s.
Proponents say the Comfort Women Column of Strength helps people remember the victims. Those opposing the statue say it singles out Japan. They say other countries committed wartime atrocities too.
In 2015 Japan reached an agreement with South Korea. It was to pay reparations to surviving South Korean victims.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in 2015. It was to build a memorial to comfort women. Retired judges Lillian Sing and Julie Tang led the push.
The Comfort Women Column of Strength serves as a starting point. It promotes education and healing. It keeps the issue alive. Some in Japan try to silence the issue.
Steven Whyte is a British-American artist. He describes himself as a figurative sculptor. He emphasizes the emotional quality of his sculptures.
Whyte wants his work to be a catalyst. He hopes it sparks public responses and conversations. He emphasizes the girls’ strength and solidarity. They look at viewers directly. It is in an almost accusatory way. They show post-traumatic stress and shock.
The Comfort Women Column of Strength has a purpose. It makes people look into history. It helps them learn from history.
The San Francisco Comfort Women memorial is one of many. Other memorials exist worldwide. They are in New York Washington D.C. and Hong Kong.
The Comfort Women Column of Strength statue is not meant to offend. It is not meant to provoke the people of Japan. It is about rape during war. It is about more than Korean-Japanese diplomacy. The Comfort Women broke their silence. This empowers women to do the same.