Lee Yong-soo (92), an elderly comfort women victim in the Japanese military, who raised allegations of fraudulent accounting by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Korean Council) and refused to take part in the Wednesday demonstrations, held a second press conference in Daegu on May 25 and continued her attacks on the Korean Council. This came eighteen days after she first held a press conference in a cafe in Daegu on May 7. Former chairperson of the Korean Council and Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker-elect Yoon Mi-hyang did not appear at the conference.

At around 2:40 p.m. this day, the elderly Lee held a press conference at Hotel Inter-Burgo in Manchon-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu and announced her views on the future direction of movements to resolve the comfort women issue, now that the prosecutors are investigating the allegations on accounting fraud by the Korean Council after she first raised the issue on May 7. As for Yoon, Lee said, “If you have committed a crime, then you should be punished.”

In a prewritten statement, Lee said, “I prepared the press conference with the thought that we should not undermine efforts to restore the honor of the comfort women victims, myself included; to obtain an apology and reparation from Japan; and to disclose the truth, as well as the accomplishments in our struggle so far.” This day, Lee argued that the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (currently the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance) had taken advantage of the comfort women victims for decades. She said, “The Korean Council should have engaged in activities concerning only the Korean Women’s Volunteer Labor Corps. What right did they have to use the comfort women victims, whose lives were dragged away?” She further raised her voice and said, “Japan is refusing to apologize and provide compensation because the Korean Council mixed the issues of the comfort women and Volunteer Labor Corps. I thought I should make this clear.”

Lee fiercely criticized Yoon. She said, “We were together for thirty years, but she pursued private interests and ran for a parliamentary seat by proportional representation without a word.” As for Yoon resigning her seat in the National Assembly, Lee said it was up to Yoon.

Lee reconfirmed the need to review the thirty years of the comfort women movement and the need for change. She said, “I am only suggesting that we change the demonstration method. I am not saying we should stop.” She further said, “The students will eventually be the owners of this country, so students in South Korea and Japan should engage in exchanges and learn from education on why Japan must apologize and provide compensations.” She seemed to suggest that supporters should continue the current Wednesday demonstrations, but seek change as well. This day, when the domestic and foreign press swarmed to the press conference, Lee and her supporters changed the venue on two occasions, resulting in some confusion.

The Korean Council spoke about the press conference and said, “It hurts. We don’t think it is appropriate for us to release our position at Lee’s press conference.”