A study on feminist scholarship and human rights activism against practices of gendered-based violence: focused on Korean comfort women movement

Abstract

This article focused on the Korean comfort women issue(Chongshindae issue).The Chongshindae issue is not just a question, which was silent for about 50 years. It has an important influence on contemporary times in Korean and other Asian societies. Moreover, it can prevent future problems related to social class, gender issues, violations against women and the impact of patriarchal organizations. This article argues, first, the issue of the comfort women system during the war between Japan and South Korea evolved into a universal dispute in the contemporary world. Moreover, not only Korean feminists, but also feminist scholars and human rights activists from different countries were involved. In otherwise, it is important to note that the gender hierarchy and patriarchal society in both countries of Japan and Korea limited the opportunities of feminists and human rights activists over the comfort women issue. The Controversial AWF seemed like a tool of Japan to avoid their legal responsibility and official apology. Nevertheless, the Chongshindae movement had achieved remarkable success regarding the comfort women issue, despite the controversies between the two countries, especially in establishing the historical monument. Moreover, a feminist national context helped to raise the issue of comfort women as a political issue, and made it symbolic.