Seoul police have finally transferred a defamation case against right-wing civic group leaders to prosecutors. This defamation case involves 10 individuals who allegedly called comfort women frauds and voluntary prostitutes. The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance filed a police complaint in March 2023. Consequently the case has now moved forward after multiple delays.
The suspects made statements denying the victims’ suffering. They claimed that the women had engaged in prostitution willingly. Police initially decided not to transfer the defamation case in September 2023. However prosecutors requested a reinvestigation, leading to a partial transfer throughout 2024 and 2025. Subsequently prosecutors asked for residual investigations. Some charges changed from defamation to insult due to insufficient evidence.
The Korean Council has held weekly protests since 1992. The group demands Japan’s official admission, apology, and compensation for sexual slavery. Meanwhile, the prolonged delay in this defamation case allowed the accused to continue their actions. Kim Byung-heon, leader of the National Action for the Abolition of the Comfort Women Act, faced arrest in April. He posted false claims about comfort women 69 times online. He also led protests to abolish statues commemorating the victims.
Hundreds of thousands of women across Asia suffered under Japanese military sexual slavery during World War II. In South Korea, the government has registered 240 women as official victims. Nevertheless the actual number remains much higher. Many women refrained from registering due to social stigma. Registration itself only began in 1991. As of 2026, only five registered victims remain alive. Most have died from old age and illness. This defamation case thus arrives as the last survivors approach the end of their lives. The prosecution will now decide whether to indict the 10 suspects. The Korean Council hopes for a swift resolution. Any further delay would allow more false claims to circulate. The transfer of this defamation case marks a critical step toward accountability.
