List of former comfort women

Portrait of Jan Ruff O'Herne taken at Bandoeng, Java, shortly before the Japanese invasion in March 1942

This is a list of known victims of the Japanese Imperial Army's "comfort women" system during World War II.[1]

Several decades after the end of the war, a number of former comfort women demanded formal apologies and a compensation from the Government of Japan, with varying levels of success.[2]

Dutch East Indies

Korea

Status of former comfort women
Surviving former comfort women Deceased former comfort women Registered former comfort women
4 235 240

People who died in the 1990s

The 1990s were both the period when former "comfort women" began to earnestly testify about their suffering, and when the number of deaths began to gradually increase due to the aging population.

  • Bae Bong-gi (1915– October 18, 1991)[6]
  • Kim Bong-nyeon (1924 – October 15, 1995)
  • Kang Duk-Kyung (February 1929 – February 2, 1996)[7]
  • Moon Ok-ju (1924 – October 26, 1996)[8]
  • Kim Hak-sun (1924–1997)[9]
  • Jeong Hak-su (1925 – March 17, 1998)

People who died in the 2000s

Entering the 2000s, the number of deaths increased. This is attributed to a steady increase in cases of deteriorating health and natural deaths due to old age, as the average age of the victims exceeded 80.

  • Kim Soon-duk (1921 – June 30, 2004)[10]
  • Noh Cheong-ja (1921 – June 30, 2004)
  • Jang Seo-yoon (1924 – August 26, 2004)
  • Kim Sang-hee (1922 – January 2, 2005)
  • Kim Bun-seon (1922 – January 10, 2005)
  • Park Bok-soon (1921 – January 27, 2005)
  • Kang Sun-ae (1928 – April 19, 2005)
  • Kim Young-ja (1922 – April 20, 2005)
  • Shin Gyeong-ran (1922 – April 25, 2005)
  • Park Du-ri (1924 – February 19, 2006)
  • Park Young-shim (December 15, 1921 – August 7, 2006)[11][12]
  • Kang Do-ah (1922 – October 23, 2007)
  • Ji Dol-ee (1923 – February 6, 2008)
  • Moon Pil-gi (1925 - March 5, 2008)
  • Kim Eum-jeon (1924 – April 3, 2008)
  • Han Do-soon (1921 – December 5, 2008)
  • Kim Ui-gyeong (1918–December 2009)

People who died in the 2010s

  • Kim Soon-ak (1928 – January 2, 2010)
  • Lee Jeom-rye (1921 – February 11, 2010)
  • Lee Du-sun (1922 – March 11, 2010)
  • Kim Gye-hwa (1921 – May 16, 2010)
  • Park Soon-im (1920 – June 28, 2010)
  • Jin Hua-sun (1930 - September 11, 2010)
  • Sim Dal-yeon (1927 – December 15, 2010)
  • Jeong Yun-hong (1920 – December 31, 2010)
  • Lee Ki-seon (1923 – January 3, 2011)
  • Im Jeong-ja (1922 – January 13, 2011)
  • Park Bun-i (1920 – January 13, 2011)
  • Shin Ssang-sim (1927 – March 21, 2011)
  • Park Ok-ryeon (1919 – May 15, 2011)
  • Jeong Maria (1920 – May 17, 2011)
  • Kim Oh-sun (1927 – September 18, 2011)
  • Song Nam-i (1920 – September 25, 2011)
  • Noh Su-bok (1921 – November 4, 2011)
  • Park Seo-un (1917 – December 4, 2011)
  • Kim Yo-ji (1924 – December 13, 2011)
  • Yun Geum-rye (1922 – March 9, 2012)
  • Kim Hwa-sun (1926 – June 13, 2012)
  • Hwang Geum-ju (1921 – January 3, 2013)
  • Lee Yong-nyeo (1926 – August 11, 2013)
  • Choi Seon-sun (1927 – August 24, 2013)
  • Hwang Geum-ja (1924–January 26, 2014)
  • Bae Chun-hee (1923 – June 8, 2014)
  • Hwang Seon-sun (1926 – January 26, 2015)
  • Park Wi-nam (1922 – January 31, 2015)
  • Lee Hyo-sun (1924 – May 27, 2015)
  • Kim Oe-han (1934 – June 11, 2015)
  • Kim Yeon-hee (1932 – June 24, 2015)
  • Choi Geum-seon (1925 – July 5, 2015)
  • Park Yu-nyeon (1922 – August 7, 2015)
  • Choi Gap-sun (1919 – December 5, 2015)
  • Kim Kyung-soon (1926–2016)[13]
  • Gong Jeom-yeop (1920 – May 17, 2016)
  • Lee Su-dan (1921 – May 17, 2016)
  • Yoo Hee-nam (1927–)[14]
  • Park Sook-yi (1922 – December 6, 2016)
  • Park Cha-soon (1923 – January 18, 2017)
  • Lee Soon-deok (1917 – April 4, 2017)
  • Kim Kun-ja (1926 – July 23, 2017)[15]
  • Hwang Yu-ryang (1927 – August 12, 2017)
  • Ha Sang-suk (1928 – August 28, 2017)[16]
  • Lee Ki-jeong (1924 – November 11, 2017)
  • Song Sin-do (1922–2017)[17])
  • Ahn Jeom-sun (January 2, 1928 – March 30, 2018)[18]
  • Choi Deok-rye (1921 – April 23, 2018)
  • Kim Bok-deuk (1917 – July 1, 2018)
  • Ha Jeom-yeon (1921–October 26, 2018)
  • Kim Soon-ok (1922 – December 5, 2018)
  • Lee Gwi-nyeo (1926 – December 14, 2018)
  • Kim Bok-dong (May 1, 1926 -– January 19, 2019)[19]
  • Kwak Ye-nam (1925 – March 2, 2019)

People who died in the 2020s

  • Lee Mak-dal (1923 – August 29, 2020)
  • Jeong Bok-su (1922 – February 12, 2021)
  • Kim Yang-ju (1924–May 1, 2022)
  • Lee Ok-seon (1928 – December 26, 2022 + from Daegu )[20]
  • Gil Won-ok (November 30, 1928 – February 16, 2025)
  • Lee Ok-seon (1928 - May 11, 2025 + from Busan )

Currently living

  • Lee Yong-soo (born December 13, 1928)[21]
  • Park Ok-seon (born 1923)
  • Kang Il-chul (born 1928)
  • Im Jeong-sun

Taiwan

The Philippines

People's Republic of China

  • Lei Guiying (1928 - April 25, 2007)[24]
  • Zhou Fenying (1917-)[25]
  • Inwilin (尹玉林)
  • Zhu Qumei (unknown - 2005)
  • 虞冬娥
  • Wan Aihua (萬愛花): The First Testimony of a Chinese Japanese Military 'Comfort Woman' (c. 1921/22 - September 4, 2013)
  • Lee Moon-woo
  • Guo Xicui (unknown - July 23, 2013)[26]
  • Hou Chaolian (unknown - 1999)
  • Liu Nianzhen (1918–2024)
  • Xiao Rui (小瑞, 1930–2025)[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Comfort women". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  2. ^ "South Korean 'comfort women' get no new compensation, says PM Noda". Japan Daily Press. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  3. ^ "'Comfort woman' who was repeatedly raped by Japanese troops dies at 96". The Age. Australian Associated Press. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Jan Ruff O'Herne". Project Sonyeo. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  5. ^ "Japan: 'Comfort Women' European Speaking Tour". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2013. Ellen van der Ploeg, 84, from the Netherlands. During World War II, she lived with her family in the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Between 1943 and 1946, date at which she was liberated, Ellen lived in five different internment camps. When she was working in one of the camps, she was turned over to a comfort station by the Imperial Japanese forces. Soldiers would cut her food rationing if she did not work hard enough. They also ignored orders to use condoms, which led to her contracting a venereal disease.
  6. ^ "Remembering Bae Bong-gi, the first comfort woman to testify about her experiences as sex slave". Hankyoreh (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  7. ^ "Kang Duk Kyung". Project Sonyeo. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  8. ^ 기자, 정우태 (2021-10-13). "[수요기획] 문옥주 할머니와 모리카와 마치코...일본군 위안부 피해자 증언집 탄생까지 '두 여인의 아름다운 동행' | 영남일보 | 정우태 기자 | 사회". 영남일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  9. ^ "Former 'Comfort Women' Hold 1,000th Protest at Japanese Embassy". The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Kim Sun-deok". Museum of Comfort Women. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  11. ^ "Park Young Shim". Project Sonyeo. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  12. ^ Yumpu.com. "Testimonies of former "Comfort Women" from ... - Korea Verband". yumpu.com. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  13. ^ "'Comfort woman' and activist dies at 90; 44 remain". Korea JoongAng Daily. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  14. ^ KH디지털2 (2016-07-10). "Number of surviving Korean sex slavery victims falls to 40". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2022-07-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Kim Kun Ja". Project Sonyeo. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  16. ^ Yumpu.com. "Testimonies of former "Comfort Women" from ... - Korea Verband". yumpu.com. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  17. ^ "Comfort Woman Film Touches Japan". The Korea Times. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  18. ^ Yumpu.com. "Testimonies of former "Comfort Women" from ... - Korea Verband". yumpu.com. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  19. ^ "Kim Bok Dong". Project Sonyeo. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  20. ^ "Lee Ok Seon". Project Sonyeo. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  21. ^ "V-Day Brings 'Comfort Women' to the U.S. for Speaking Tour as Part of the 2006 Global V-Day Campaign for Justice | V-Day: A Global Movement to End Violence Against Women and Girls Worldwide". www.vday.org. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  22. ^ "Profile: Taiwanese former 'comfort woman' dies before apology". Taipei Times. 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
  23. ^ "Maria Rosa Luna Henson". Project Sonyeo. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  24. ^ "中 유일의 위안부 증인 할머니 사망". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  25. ^ Qiu, Peipei; Zhiliang, Su; Lifei, Chen (2013-10-04). Chinese Comfort Women. University of British Columbia Press. doi:10.59962/9780774825467. ISBN 978-0-7748-2546-7.
  26. ^ "WWII: China sex slave who sued Japan dies - Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières". europe-solidaire.org. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  27. ^ "Another 'comfort woman' passes away, leaving only 7 on Chinese mainland-Ecns.cn". ECNS. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
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