Everardo Perez-Manjarrez, from the National University of Distance Education (UNED), shares his experience during his research stay in Seoul, South Korea, analyzing memory sites and memory practices, particularly the Wednesday demonstration.
Every Wednesday since 1992, people from different walks of life in South Korea stage a memory rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. The purpose of this rally is to demand a formal apology from Japan for “comfort women”. The term “comfort women” is an euphemism that refers to South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese during World War II (1939-1945).
During this performative event, memory and civic agency intertwine in the voices of Korean women survivors accompanied by different social agents. This is a unique memory practice that urges Korean and Japanese societies to recall and reflect on this atrocious event to construct a more democratic future together. The Wednesday demonstration also invites broader audiences to critically reflect on troubled pasts –specifically colonialism, their implications, and how societies deal with contentious historical issues while building prospects for the future.
Find out more about Wednesday demonstration:
Wednesday Demonstration Archive
Teaching about the Korean Comfort Women
“I think the comfort women are us”: National identity and affective historical empathy in students’ understanding of “comfort women” in South Korea