Song Sin-do (; November 24, 1922 – December 16, 2017) was a

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n former comfort woman who had been living and campaigning in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

for an official apology from the

Japanese government The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary state, containing forty- ...

. She had also recognised the need for the history of comfort women to be taught in Japanese schools to prevent a recurrence of the situation.

Background

Song Sin-do escaped a

forced marriage Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...

at the age of 16 years by signing up to assist on the Japanese front line. However, like many thousands of young Korean and Chinese girls who believed they would work in factories or as nurses' assistants, Song Sin-do was taken to a comfort house to work as a sexual slave for seven years. During this time Song was forced to give away two babies to local families and beaten repeatedly. When the war ended in 1945, Song found she had nowhere to return to and so accepted the marriage proposal of a Japanese soldier who abandoned her on arrival in Japan. Song had lived with a Korean gentleman called Ha Jae-eun she sees as a father figure.http://www.hancinema.net/korean_Song_Sin-do.php ee Hyo-won - "Comfort Women film touches Japan"/ref> In 1992 a document proving the Japanese government's involvement with the military brothels was found and a hotline called 'Comfort Woman 110' resultantly formed to provide support for the former comfort women. It was this way that Song's story was uncovered when the organisation contacted her and persuaded her to go public with her history.

Legal action

A support group of Japanese citizens formed around Song and assisted her financially during the trial to receive an official apology for comfort women. However, although the Court recognised misconduct by the state, it deemed that the events were too far in the past to make a claim. Song and her supporters, however, are still campaigning for an official apology and visit many areas of Japan, particularly high schools, to tell of the plight of comfort women.

Film

'' My Heart Is Not Broken Yet'' documents Song's story as she struggles for recognition for comfort women. It was released in August 2007 in Japan, but hit the Korean box office February 26, 2009. As opposed to the typical stance taken in response to the military atrocities, Song argues that the soldiers as well as the comfort women were victims of war. She also involved and welcomed several testimonies from veteran Japanese soldiers in the making of the film. Actress

Moon So-ri Moon So-ri (; born July 2, 1974) is a South Korean actress, film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her acclaimed leading roles in ''Oasis (2002 film), Oasis'' (2002), ''A Good Lawyer's Wife'' (2003), and ''When Life Gives You Tange ...

narrated the film, whilst Wadanabe Mihoko provided the narration for the Japanese release. The film also received the services of composer Pak Poe, considered the "Bob Dylan of Japan". The film was distributed by Indiestory and funded by nearly 670 Japanese individuals. It was shown in Korea and Japan (with Korean subtitles), where according to the film's domestic distributor, a teenage girl was quoted as saying:

"It is necessary that many Japanese people be informed of (comfort women) and the movie must be seen in order to spread the knowledge."

A portion of the profit from ticket sales will be used to help fund the establishment of the War and Women's Museum in South Korea.

References

External links

My Heart Is Not Broken Yet at IMDb

Sex Slaves Put Japan on Trial at bbc.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Sin-do 1922 births 2017 deaths Comfort women Korean human rights activists South Korean film actresses 21st-century South Korean actresses South Korean expatriates in Japan People from South Chungcheong Province

Background

Legal action

Film

See also

References

External links