South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Sunday, March 29, 2026, expressed his "deepest condolences" over the death of a victim of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, known euphemistically as "comfort women." The presidential office stated that Lee conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved family following the passing of the woman, identified by her surname Lee.
The victim, born in 1928, was forcibly taken to a Japanese military brothel in China during World War II. She was one of the 240 women officially registered with the South Korean government as victims of the Japanese military's sexual slavery system.
Her death reduces the number of known surviving registered victims to just nine, according to data from the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. The issue remains a major diplomatic and historical point of contention between South Korea and Japan.
President Lee's office stated that the government will continue to strive to restore the dignity and honor of the victims and record the historical truth. The victim's funeral is being held as a state-sponsored ceremony.
