Seoul's foreign minister Chung Eui-yong says he is "duty bound" to help restore the dignity and honor of the surviving victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery and to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated.
Chung's remarks came on Thursday at the third International Conference on Action with Women and Peace while reflecting on his meeting from March with one of the survivors, Lee Yong-soo.
Calling it "unethical" for perpetrators to deny the truth and wait for their "shameful" acts to be forgotten, Chung said a victim-centered approach is needed.
He also noted that the testimony by the late Kam Hak-sun which was the first ever has encouraged others to speak out and raise awareness.