GWANGJU -- An elderly Korean victim of Japan's wartime sexual slavery died at age 97 on Friday, a foundation that deals with the issue said.
Ha Jeom-yeon passed away at 6:08 a.m. due to health deterioration. Her death puts the number of surviving victims at 27 out of the 240 officially registered with the South Korean government.
In 1936, Ha was staying at her sister's place in Osaka to babysit her kids. A Korean neighbor took her to a factory, and afterward she was forced to travel to various places, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Indonesia, to work as a sex slave for Japanese soldiers.