<W commentary> Former professor seeking court testimony from the representative of comfort women = Recording of university lectures indicted by the Korean prosecutor's office (1)

A former professor, Seok-Choon Lew, who was charged by the Korean prosecutor's office for saying "comfort women are prostitutes" during a lecture at the prestigious "Yonsei University" in South Korea. It is Hot Topic that he has applied for former comfort women representative Lee Yong-soo and others as witnesses of the trial.

At the trial on the 13th, former professor Lew was a member of the Diet in the comfort women movement, Yoon Mee-hyang, a representative author of the best-selling "Anti-Japan Tribalism" Lee Young-hoon, a former Seoul University professor, Japan Professor Tsutomu Nishioka, who is famous as a human comfort woman researcher, also applied as a witness.

In September 2019, Professor Lew was giving a lecture on the major subject "Developmental Sociology" in front of about 50 students at Yonsei University in Seoul. Although it is not well known, the content of the lecture is recorded and the transcript is open to the public. Literal Translation, which is an important part of the content. It's time to answer questions after Professor Lew's lecture.

● Female student B: "Once Japan was the direct perpetrator of what we have experienced, Japan has no choice but to be sensitive to the problem..."

● Professor Lew: "Because the direct perpetrator is not Japan, it is a kind of prostitution."

● Female student B: "So, for prostitution... Isn't the Japanese government the subject that caused prostitution?"

● Professor Lew: "There must have been men from Korea too, no?."

● Female student B: "I'm not talking about the nationality of individual men..."

● Professor Lew: "No, then there was prostitution in the Joseon era, but should the Korean government take responsibility? Why not talk about that? I don't understand why we only talk about Japan? It's a frame that hates Japan and it's fixed exactly. Now, it is prostitution that the angle to ask questions exists in ubiquitous (*anytime, anywhere) in the whole world. That's right. Historically, it's been around for a long time, and I think it's going to continue. It's morally wrong, but the reality is that it exists. But how many causal people are the ones who made the mistake? Now, those who talk about the Volunteer Corps (comfort women) issue are talking about Japan's (responsibility) issue, targeting only Japan. Isn't it strange?"

● Female student B: "Then, what is the professor's opinion on prostitution because there is no problem raised against Japan?"

● Professor Lew: "If so, would you raise the same issue not only to Japan, but to all countries? Now, the Government of South Korea is neglectful. Moon Jae-in is also neglectful. Go to Gangnam (the downtown area of Seoul) once. Even though there are many prostitutes, I'm not familiar with it. Everyone, goes to the Internet (SNS). Message that induces prostitution comes in every day, I'm sure you're experiencing it now. Every day. Why leave it alone? Why doesn't the Moon Jae-in government tell the story? Should it be the same? Yes, the person behind!"

● Female student C: "It is said that it was prostitution all the time, but I think this is not prostitution, but a state-led employment fraud and sex crime. What do you think about this?"

● Professor Lew: "I'm talking so much, but if you think this way, it can't be helped..."

(to be continued)