Lee Ok-seon, 94, 'comfort woman' survivor dies

″Comfort woman″ survivor Lee Ok-seon [YONHAP]

Lee Ok-seon, a “comfort woman” survivor, passed away Monday night at the age of 94, according to House of Sharing, a shelter for comfort women.

Lee was one of the last 11 surviving comfort women, a euphemistic name given to the victims of the Japanese military’s wartime sexual slavery.

With Lee’s death, the total number of survivors goes down to 10, out of the 240 victims who were registered to the Korean government.

“Lee wished more than anyone for the comfort women issue to be resolved,” said Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook on Tuesday.

“We will continuously make efforts to recover the dignity and respect of the victims.”

In August 2013, Lee and 11 other victims filed a damage lawsuit against the Japanese government.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that the Japanese government must pay 100 million won ($79,000) each to 12 comfort women victims who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II in January last year, seven years and five months after the lawsuit was filed.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]