Comfort Women

Oral testimonies of “comfort women” survivors and personal memoirs by former Japanese military personnel

The primary sources in this collection provide an essential narrative of crucial but overlooked history in the Asia Pacific prior to and during the Second World War (1930s-1945). They substantiate the historical truth about Imperial Japan’s use of systematic sexual and gender-based violence to further the goals of imperial expansion and military dominance. The Japanese military “comfort women” system is one of the largest known institutions of state-sponsored human trafficking and sexual slavery in the 20th century.

The Archives houses historical materials regarding the comfort women issue, main documents, protocols of board meetings and all publications of the Asian Women's Fund.
Includes the resources on comfort stations, testimony of the victims, lawsuits in Japanese courts, and more.

Documents on the Establishment of the "comfort station" system as a military apparatus, Conscription/Recruitment, Transportation of Women, and Management of the "comfort stations"

Documents on U.S. and Allied Forces providing valuable insight into the perspectives of victims and witnesses through fragmentary evidence of the tragic realities in which “comfort women” lived

These records on Japanese military 'comfort women' were gathered by Jinseong Jeong's research team at Seoul National University from archival institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Thailand, with support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Since 2018, the records have been donated to the Seoul Archives and will continue to be updated over time.

‘Archive 814,’ the digital archive on the issue of ‘Comfort Women’ curated by the Research Institute on Comfort Women in the Japanese Military, was launched on August 14, 2020, for the 3rd Memorial Day of Comfort Women. The research institute has been collecting data on ‘comfort women’ from both Korea and abroad. This collection offers the original texts of various materials, including official documents from the Japanese government (military), UN Human Rights Commission reports, and a range of photos and videos.

One photograph from the collection titled 'Collected Photos Related to Japanese Military Comfort Women, 1939–1958' includes images of Japanese military 'comfort women,' comfort stations, and Allied POW camps where the comfort women were held. All photos in this collection were taken by Allied forces during World War II.

This guide provides information on records related to the Japanese military 'comfort women' held by the Seoul Archives, as well as records not held by the archives, information on relevant departments and organizations within the Seoul Metropolitan Government, search methods by topic, and related content.

The War and Women's Human Rights Archive preserves historical data on the Japanese military sexual slavery system, records of survivors of Japanese military 'comfort women,' and records of movements to resolve the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery, making them available to citizens around the world. Collection includes; Records of international community activities, Records related to domestic and foreign litigation, Records of Wednesday Demonstration since 1992, Records of Asian Solidarity Conference since 1992, Records by comfort women-related researcher Jeong-ok Yoon, Collection related to Japanese military sexual slavery evidence records, Records related to civil society's response to the Japanese government, Records produced and collected by Jeong Jin-seong’s research team related to comfort women, Records of the construction and operation of the Peace Monument, Records of testimonies, oral records, and works drawn by survivors of 'comfort women' victims, and Collection of newsletters on the activities of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.

The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Korean Council) works towards just resolution of the issue and prevention of wartime sexual violence.