A victim of Japanese wartime slavery staged a protest in front of the presidential house on Tuesday, calling for Prime Minister-designate Moon Chang-keuk to renounce his nomination.
Kim Bok-dong, 88, held up a picket declaring that President Park Geun-hye “hurt” victims of Japanese sexual enslavement by nominating a candidate with “extreme pro-Japanese beliefs.”
The octogenarian also expressed her disapproval of President Park, saying she chose a person who “would never make it.”
Moon has been under fire for comments he made in 2011, when he said at a church lecture the colonization and division of the Korean Peninsula were “God’s will.” Moon made a public apology for his comment on Sunday.
“There are plenty of intelligent people, regardless of whether they belong to the ruling or the opposition party,” Kim said. “(President Park) needs to choose people who are capable of leading this country, not those who are close to her.”
Kim was only 15 years old when she was taken by Japanese troops during World War II to so-called “comfort stations.” She is one of the only 54 surviving victims.
By Suh Ye-seul (sys@heraldcorp.com)
