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The first real-name record of a surviving former "comfort woman" has been discovered. Researcher Kang Jeong-suk of the Korea Chongshindae's Institute said Monday that she discovered the records of a surviving "comfort woman", 79-year-old Kim Bok-dong, while examining military records at the National Archives and Records Service. The name, place of birth, birthday and personal circumstances recorded in the archive were identical to testimony given by Kim in "True Stories of the Korean Comfort Women, Volume 2," published by the Korea Chongshindae's Institute in 1997. According to the registry of civilians attached to the Japanese military of September 1947, Kim was employed on August 31, 1945 as a military civilian attached to the 10th Army Field Hospital of Japan's Southern Expeditionary Army Group. She was 19 at the time. In the 1997 book, Kim said she had been abducted at the age of 15 and lived as a "comfort woman" (or Chongshindae in Korean) for the Japanese military in Guangdong province, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The military registry also records that between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31 of 1945, some 300 Korean women were pressed into service as temporary nurses with the Army's 5th, 9th and 10th field hospitals in places like Singapore. Kang said the employment of the women as nurses just as the war ended could be interpreted as an attempt by Japan to either cover up its "comfort women" system or to exploit the labor of Korean women right up to the last moment. She also said that since the names of 299 other Korean women besides Kim were recorded in the registry, there could be significantly more victims than are currently registered with the state. Korea Chongshindae's Institute director Lee Sung-sook said, "With former 'comfort women' like Kim Sang-hee and Kim Bun-seon passing away as we enter the New Year, the value of material such as this becomes that much greater." Eighty-eight of the 215 women listed with the Korean government as former "comfort women" have died. With the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan battling for an official apology and compensation from the Japanese government, the record could be an important piece of evidence in refuting right-wing Japanese denials of the country's wartime use of 'comfort women". It could help persuade the Japanese government to take responsibility and compensate the victims. (Kim Yun-deok, sion@chosun.com )
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