Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Kim Hak-sun: First Comfort Woman Survivor Remembered on Memorial Day
Many years ago, during World War II, soldiers from Japan took thousands of women and girls from their homes and treated them very badly.
These women were called "comfort women," but they were not comfortable at all.
Most of them stayed quiet for a long time because they were scared or ashamed.
A brave woman named Kim Hak-sun from South Korea was the first to tell everyone her story on television on August 14, 1991.
She had been taken when she was a teenager and forced to work in a military camp.
After she spoke up, other survivors felt braver and shared their stories too.
She also went to court to ask the Japanese government for justice.
Every year on August 14, the world remembers these women and girls on International Memorial Day for Comfort Women.
The day teaches us that remembering sad parts of history helps make sure such terrible things never happen again.
August 14 is observed annually as International Memorial Day for Comfort Women, marking the day in 1991 when Kim Hak-sun first publicly testified.
Kim Hak-sun was a South Korean woman abducted as a teenager by Japanese soldiers and forced to labor in a military camp.
She shared her experience on television on August 14, 1991, and filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government.
"Comfort women" is a euphemism for an estimated 200,000 women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
Her testimony encouraged other survivors to share their stories and brought greater international attention to the issue.
- Who
- Kim Hak-sun, a South Korean woman who was the first survivor to publicly testify, along with an estimated 200,000 women and girls from Korea, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia and other occupied territories.
- What
- International Memorial Day for Comfort Women, an annual observance honoring victims and survivors of wartime sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
- When
- August 14 every year, chosen because Kim Hak-sun publicly testified on August 14, 1991.
- Where
- South Korea, where Kim Hak-sun came forward; victims came from across Asia, including Korea, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia and other occupied territories.
- Why
- To honor victims and survivors, highlight human rights and dignity, prevent sexual violence during armed conflicts, and ensure such atrocities are never repeated.
- Observance
- International Memorial Day for Comfort Women (August 14, annually)
- Origin of date
- Kim Hak-sun's public testimony on August 14, 1991
- First survivor to testify
- Kim Hak-sun of South Korea
- Estimated victims
- About 200,000 women and girls
- Victims' home regions
- Korea, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia and other occupied territories
- Perpetrator
- Japanese Imperial Army during World War II
- Kim Hak-sun's actions
- First public television testimony and a lawsuit against the Japanese government