The controversial New Jersey memorial dedicated to the women forced into sexual
The controversial New Jersey memorial dedicated to the women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Army during World War II, which Japanese officials tried to remove last May, has been the subject of several stories in the Korea Daily this month. Voices of NY has translated and summarized some of them for this round-up. The first one is about a man who takes care of the monument every day.
The Comfort Women Memorial, located in front of the Palisades Park Public Library, is in good hands.
Gumjong Yoon, known as “The Comfort Women Memorial keeper,” put a Christmas tree next to the monument on Thanksgiving Day. He is the main caretaker of the monument, which was defiled with a stake last October.
“It’s the end of the year, so I wanted to give a little warmth to the victims of the Japanese Army,” Yoon said. “The Christmas tree is the symbol of blessing and gratitude, so I put it next to the stone monument to express our appreciation.”
Yoon’s devotion to the monument is special. He put chrysanthemum pots next to the it last May, and has been looking after it ever since. Every day, he goes to Palisades Park to clean up around the monument and check that it has not been harmed.
When asked about why he is doing this, Yoon explained, “I am a Vietnam War veteran, and I’m a member of the New Jersey branch of the Association of Vietnam Veterans of Korea. I know very well about the horrors of war. I wanted to protect the victims who suffered from the war, that’s why I look after the Comfort Women Memorial.”
He said, “I can feel the growing interest in the monument. Now and then I see flowers laid in front of it, and people from other countries come to see it and take an interest on it.”
He added, “The life of immigrants is always busy and hard. But we shouldn’t ignore the people who sacrificed themselves for us. We must keep an eye on this Comfort Women Memorial, and I hope more people will want to protect and take care of it.”
http://www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?art_id=1534575
Translated by Somi Park from Korean