`Sex slaves should be considered like Holocaust victims`

“In the U.S., few people are unaware of the Holocaust, the oppression of Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War, but not many are aware of sexual slavery by imperial Japan. Comfort women are victims of history just like those of the Holocaust. I would like to contribute to publicizing (the sex slaves) like Holocaust victims.”

The Dong-A Ilbo interviewed New York City Councilman Peter Koo at his office in the Big Apple`s Flushing area Friday. He is pursuing a second memorial for Korean comfort women in New York after the first installed in Palisades Park, New Jersey, the first of its kind outside Korea.

Japanese are sending a flurry of letters protesting his move and U.S. media outlets are paying attention.

“What we`re doing isn`t an anti-Japanese project, but a matter of human rights, a universal value of humanity for a long time. I cannot accept the demand of the Japanese people, who warn of deterioration of U.S.-Japan relations,” Koo said, adding, “Japan should take a stance to apologize as Germany did to Holocaust victims.”

“One Japanese warned that if a memorial for the comfort women is erected, not only Japanese people but also Japanese tourists visiting New York will be hugely disappointed.”

On Japanese who sent letters to other New York City councilmen urging them to stop him from erecting the memorial, Koo said, “This is a matter that we could do independently in Flushing, and not an issue that should be discussed at the New York City Council. Yet they seem confused.”

“Several months ago, the office of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked me about this issue in detail,” he said, hinting at being under pressure through various channels. “(Such a move by Japan) will never affect the plan to erect a memorial and create the Street for Comfort Women. Plans to change the names of 25 streets in New York, including the Street for Comfort Women in Flushing, have been submitted, and Mayor Bloomberg will not be in a position to reject.”

Koo said, “The erection of the memorial becomes a somewhat complicated issue if it is to be erected on city property,” adding, “If the city does not allow, we will seek to establish it without fail on private property and building.”

The politician initially grew interest in the Korean comfort women around 2010, when many ethnic Korean voters in Flushing and Korean civic groups visited him and informed him of the atrocity.

“Prior to that, frankly, I was unaware of the existence of comfort women. Afterwards, while participating in seminars and symposiums on comfort women, I made a commitment to introduce this issue to U.S. society without fail.”

He added, “Such a painful history should never be repeated. It`s my mission to educate younger generations in America about a painful history that thoroughly violated human rights, and to prevent such history from being repeated.”

Koo is a Chinese American who immigrated into the U.S. in 1971. He was elected to the New York City Council on Jan. 1, 2010.

witness@donga.com