SEOUL: More than 100 South Korean women forced into prostitution for US military personnel have filed a landmark lawsuit against Washington for systematic abuse.
Their lawyers announced the unprecedented legal action on Tuesday, marking the first official accusation against the United States military itself.
Historians and activists confirm tens of thousands of South Korean women worked in state-sanctioned brothels from the 1950s to 1980s, serving American troops stationed in the country.
South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the government had illegally established and operated these brothels for the US military, ordering compensation to approximately 120 plaintiffs.
Last week, 117 victims filed a new lawsuit specifically accusing the US military and demanding an official apology alongside financial compensation.
One plaintiff in her 60s, who wished to remain anonymous, described being beaten by US soldiers for various trivial reasons in a statement to AFP.
She revealed she was only 17 when tricked into sex work after believing she would become a bartender, then trapped by fabricated debts.
“Every night we were dragged to US soldiers and sexually abused,“ she stated, detailing forced weekly venereal disease tests and painful penicillin injections for any irregularities.
Women’s rights activists supporting the victims accused the US military of ignoring the South Korean Constitution and destroying these women’s lives.
The lawsuit seeks 10 million won ($7,200) per victim and aims to establish joint liability between the South Korean government and US military authorities.
Lawyer Ha Ju-hee told AFP this legal action specifically targets both entities for their unlawful acts against the women.
The United States currently stations approximately 28,500 troops in South Korea as a protective measure against nuclear-armed North Korea.
United States Forces Korea did not respond to AFP’s request for comment on the lawsuit.
Another victim in her 60s described being nearly strangled to death by a US soldier in her handwritten statement.
“Our government simply handed us over to the US bases,“ she wrote, adding they were effectively sold for dollars.
She pleaded for answers about why they suffered such atrocities and requested an apology before she dies, explaining this motivation behind their lawsuit. – AFP
