How Lee Yong-soo's (李容洙) Testimonies Changed Over the Years
Born on December 13th 1928. Born in a middle class family in Taegu (KOR), not that rich but not that poor either. When she was a teenager, she was sent to Taiwan and worked as a comfort woman ever since. She claims she was abducted by a man or a woman or both, or whoever else came to her house, who were watching Lee and her friend at a river, or in reverse whom Lee and her friend were watching, a few days or 1-2 months ago. This vague description of her claimed 'forced abduction' is the most which can be said about her 'tragic' past once you read all her testimonies and what she told the media about herself, as her story keeps changing over and over. In February 15th 2007, she testified at the 'Comfort Women Hearings' held in the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs. She officially testified the following:
"I live in Taegu, South Korea. My name is Lee Yong Soo, and sometimes I am a 14-yearold girl, and I look outside my window, and there is a girl, and there is a Japanese man, and they are saying something to each other, and they are gesturing me to come out. I did not know anything. I did not know what was going on but they gestured me to come out so I came out, and as you seen her dress, the girl and the Japanese soldier put their hand on my shoulder, and covered my mouth, and the soldier put something against my back, and like that in the middle of the night I was taken away. So when I was taken away I was taken to a bridge. Underneath the bridge there were cars going by, and when I arrived there I saw three other girls and they gave me a parcel, a ripped parcel, and I had a feel of what that parcel had inside it, and there were some clothes and some shoes. And then we were taken to a train station. We were taken on a train. It was my very first time in my entire life to board a train, and my head hurt a lot. I can even remember now I told them my head hurts, my head hurt, and they called me something like Jo Sen Ging or something like that, and they started hitting me with their fists and kicking me with their feet. And they kicked me and punched me so much that I lost consciousness."
Her testimony continued to tell how she was raped by a Japanese soldier in a ship on it's way to Taiwan, how she was forced to become a comfort woman in Taiwan, how she was brutally tortured by a Japanese soldier for some unknown reason, and when she returned home after the war, how her mother called her a 'ghost' and refused to admit Lee was her daughter. The upper passages were excerpted so to focus on how exactly she was 'forced into becoming a sex slave'. She gave a tearjerking speech at Harvard University, was interviewed by the Le Monde and The Guardian as well, but Lee yong-soo may still be the most unreliable ex-comfort woman ever. After comparing how her testimonies have changed throughout the years before and after the 'Comfort Women Hearings', nobody in their right mind would be able to make out which version of her story as true. One would have no choice but to conclude she is either under the strong influence of the "Korean Council" (also known as Chong Dae Hyup 정대협 挺対協 in Korean; an anti-Japanese Korean Political group) as she started changing her testimonies after they started to get involved in comfort women issues, or suffering dementia from aging after reading the following. Compare each of the same colored parts in the passages and watch how they keep changing.
- From the book "Photo-Records, Silence Broken / Military Comfort Women of Asia (『写真 記録 破られた沈黙－アジアの従軍慰安婦たち』)" written by Takashi Ito (伊藤孝司) published by Fubousha July 1993
In the summer of 1944, a friend's mother asked me if I wanted to go 'where you can live a rich life', but I rejected this offer. A few days later when that friend came and invited me out, there was a man wearing clothes like an army uniform. There were 3 young girls with him. He gave me a dress and a pair of red shoes which overwhelmed me because it was the first time someone gave me something new. The man said 'Come along with me', so 5 young girls including me and my friend followed him to the train station. It was my first time to ride a train. I felt ill on it so it made me cry.
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2. From the book "Testimonies, Korean Comfort Women who were Abducted by Force (『証言 強制連行された朝鮮人慰安婦たち』)" edited by the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (韓国挺身隊問題対策協議会) published by Akashi-Shoten October 1993
In the autumn of 1944 when I was 16 years fully old, when I was collecting shells in the river, a Japanese man and an elderly man was standing in the other side of the bank. When the old man pointed his finger towards us, the Japanese man came towards us and gestured me to go to him so I ran away. A few days later my friend came to my house at dawn, knocked on my window and said 'Come out quietly.' I sneaked out from my house without telling my mother anything. When I followed my friend, there was the Japanese man I saw by the river in national uniform＊ and a combat hat. He looked close to 40 years old. He gave me a dress and a pair of leather shoes. My childish heart was so overwhelmed. I decided not think about anything else anymore and chose to go with him right away. (*note this is not the same as military uniform)
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3. From the book "Ourselves and War Responsibilities (私たちと戦争責任)" edited by the Group to Remember War Victims at Heart (戦争犠牲者を心に刻む会) published by TohoShuppan August 1996
In October 1943 when I was catching fish from the river with a friend, 2 men in military uniforms (I'm not sure if they were Japanese) pointed a finger at me so I ran away. During the same month some day at dawn, a woman came into my house and said 'Be quiet and come', and took me away. This woman told me 'Don't speak in Korean.' When I was taken to where the embankments are, the man I saw before was there. My friend who was already there gave me a bundle, and there was a pair of shoes in it.
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4. From Chugoku Nippou newspapers English version (英文中国日報 Nationality unknown) article interview dated August 23rd 1998
I was forced to work as a sex slave for the Japanese army for 3 years (...nip...) How I was abducted from my home country Korea by the Japanese Army on an evening in 1944 (...nip...) When I was sent to the comfort station I was only 16 according to East Asian age reckoning.
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5. From the records of the Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery held in Tokyo (JPN 女性国際戦犯法廷記録) dated December 8-12th 2000
Was conned by the Japanese brothel owner (into prostitution).
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6.From Akahata Shimbun newspapers (赤旗新聞 JPN) article dated June 26th 2002
I was forcibly abducted with a bayonet pointed at me when I was 14 years old.
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7. From a speech at Kyoto University (京都大学 JPN) on December 4th 2004
In 1944, when I was 16 years old, I was forcibly taken away by 'a man who wore clothes like a soldier's uniform'(...nip...) I was forced to spend 3 years as a 'comfort woman' of the Japanese Army.
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8. From Kyoto Shimbun newspapers (京都新聞 JPN) article interview dated December 5th 2004
I was taken away at the age of 16 not knowing what was going on (...nip...) Around 1944, I was abducted by the Imperial Japanese Army, and spent about 3 years in Taiwan as a military comfort woman.
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9. From the event "Testimony Gathering (証言集会)" held at Doshishya University (JPN) on April 21st 2005
In 1944 when I was collecting shells from the river with a friend, I noticed a person wearing an army uniform and another person dressed in white was watching me, so I got frightened and ran away. 1 or 2 months after then, While I was sleeping, I heard some sounds. When I got up and looked around, a woman was looking towards my way with something pointed at her neck. When I looked closer, there was a soldier wearing his hat deeply standing. Since the woman was calling me in silence waving her hand, I got scared so I left the room and sat in the living room. Then the woman and soldier followed me to the living room, and the woman held me with one arm, covered my mouth with her other hand and took me away (...nip...) At the time I was 16 according to Korean age reckoning.
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10. From a speech at Koshigaya Citizen's Meeting (越ケ谷市民集会 JPN) on August 3rd 2005
I was taken away by 'a man who wore clothes like a soldier's uniform', as he threatened me with small amounts of money.
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11. From Asahi Shimbun newspapers (朝日新聞 JPN) article interview dated August 11th 2005
Lee was taken away from Taegu (KOR) when she was about 15 years old.
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12. Comfort Women Hearings held in U.S. Congress (米下院公聴会) on February 15th 2007
(see the top of this document)
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13. From JoongAng Ilbo (中央日報 KOR) newspapers article reporting the first time 'Comfort Women Hearings' held in U.S. Congress dated February 16th 2007
Lee was forcibly taken away to Taiwan as a comfort woman in 1944 when she was 16 years old.
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14. From the Japan Times newspapers (ジャパン・タイムズ JPN) article interview dated February 22nd 2007
A Japanese Soldier dragged me out of my house grabbing my neck when I was 14 years old.
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15. From JANJAN Internet newspapers (ジャンジャン JPN) article report on Lee once again 'Testifying and Accusing' in Saitama (JPN) dated February 26th 2007
When she was 15 years old, Lee had been threatened with a small pistol and taken away from Dalian (CHN) to Taiwan and was made into becoming a comfort woman for the Shinchiku Naval Comfort Station to serve Kamikaze pilots.
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16. From a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (日本外国特派員 協会) on March 2nd 2007
On an evening when the moon was bright around 2 or 3am, a soldier and a woman came into my house, pointed a katana (Japanese sword) at me , took me outside covering my mouth, and I was put on a train after joining another soldier who had 3 women with him.
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17. From a New York Times (US) article interview dated March 6th 2007
The Japanese soldier covered my mouth as he dragged me out of my house so I couldn't call my mother.
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18. From a Washington Post (US) article interview dated March 7th 2007
In July 1942 when I was 15 years old, when I was on my way to a restaurant I worked at in Ulsan, 2 huge men grabbed my arm and threw me into a truck with 5 other women.
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19. From the Le Monde newspapers (FRA) article interview dated March 6th 2007
It happened in the current south-east part of Korea called Taegu, when Madam Lee was 14 years old. "It was in an autumn morning of 1944. When I was sleeping, I heard a woman's voice calling me. I went outside. There was a Japanese soldier there, who captured me and took me away by force." The train took her from Pyongyang (KOR) to Dalian (CHN). In Dalian she was put on a ship to Taiwan, and was sent to work in a military brothel inside the base of suicide pilots (Kamikaze).
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20. From The Guardian (GB) article titled "Japan rules out new apology to comfort women" dated March 5th 2007
Lee Yong-soo, a Korean, was 15 years old when snatched from her home in 1944 and taken to work in a military brothel in Taiwan. "The Japanese government is saying there was no coercion involved, but we didn't do this voluntarily," said Ms Lee, who testified at a US House subcommittee last month.
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21. From Chosun Ilbo newspapers (朝鮮日報 KOR) article titled "79 year old Ex-Comfort Woman, Claims in Tears in Harvard University" dated April 30th 2007
Ms. Lee Yong-soo (79) who was forcibly abducted at the age of 16 and made to serve as a 'comfort woman' for 2 years, spoke in front of the Harvard University students about the 'days of hell'.
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22. From "War and Sex / Facing the COMFORT WOMEN in Korea (戦争と性 韓国で「慰安婦」 と向きあう)" by Michiko Takayanagi and Masamitsu Iwamoto (高柳美知子・岩本正光) published by Kamogawa Shuppan August 1st 2007
Ms.Yong-soo was born in Taegu (KOR). In the summer when she was 15 years old, she went to gather mugwort with her friend. At dusk, when they looked towards the riverside, there was a man wearing a combat hat running towards them, so they rushed home. "A few days later my friend came to my house and called me to come, so I followed her. There was that man in the combat hat with 3 other girls. I became scared and wanted to leave, but since my friend told me to go with her I followed them. The man gave me a bundle. There was a pair of red shoes and a dress in it." After that she was put on trains and ships, being forced to travel to Taiwan.
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Lee Yong-soo returned home when she was either 17 (according to "War and Sex / Facing the COMFORT WOMEN in Korea") or 19 (according to "Photo-Records, Silence Broken / Military Comfort Women of Asia") years old. But her mother said her daughter is dead and disowned her. Many people may assume this was because Lee was a comfort women and her mother may have been ashamed of it. But could that have been the only reason? There are clearly four versions of how Lee ended up being a comfort woman. 1. In which she willingly followed the man overwhelmed by the gifts he gave her, 2. In which a man and a woman abducted her from her house, 3. A mixture of 1 and 2 as her friend being the one suggesting to follow the man, and 4. In which she claimed she was abducted by 2 men on her way to work. As she strangely mentioned 4 only once, that version is totally unreliable. Even if 4 was a true incident which happened before she was taken away to Taiwan by others, if she experienced an attempted kidnapping as such, it's all the more difficult to imagine she would later on act as she did in 1, 2 and 3. 1 seems the most convincing as Lee stated that story for a while at first, plus it's much more detailed and doesn't have much contradictions compared to 2 and 3, not to mention that around the years she told version 1 nobody imagined the comfort women issue would become so big as to have ex-comfort women become financially supported by governments and volunteers. If 1 was the truth, it would also be more understandable why her mother disowned her. Either way, Lee probably had been tricked into going to live 'the rich life' her friend's mother told her about, thinking it had nothing to do with sexual services (or maybe not). However, it's impossible to conclude from her testimonies which keep changing in detail, or the story altogether, that the Imperial Japanese Army abducted and forced her into 'sex slavery'. Can anyone believe someone who says she was raped but testifies like Lee with no questions at all?
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