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This file photo shows a statue of a girl, which symbolizes the women forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II, set up in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Another elderly Korean victim of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery died Thursday, the gender ministry said.
The death of the woman, whose identity was withheld at the request of her family, puts the number of surviving victims at 19, according to the ministry.
A total of 240 are officially registered with the government as victims of sexual enslavement by the Japanese imperial army during World War II. Five died last year.
Gender Minister Lee Jung-ok expressed condolences to the family over the victim’s death, vowing to continue policy support for the surviving victims and to actively push for projects that will help restore their honor and dignity, the ministry said.
Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in front-line brothels for Japanese troops during the war. (Yonhap)