Students Lin Wei-tung (left) and Lu Yi-sheng (Photo courtesy of the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation)
Taipei, Aug. 3 (CNA) A total of 15 Taiwanese teenagers will visit South Korea later this month to learn more about the issue of "comfort women," the term used to describe women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II, one of the groups organizing the trip said on Thursday.
The 15 participants were selected from 59 applicants aged 16-18, according to Ama Museum in Taipei.
During a visit to South Korea from Aug. 17-19, they will visit the Museum of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan and call on surviving Korean comfort women, the museum said in a statement.
The Taiwanese teenagers will also watch related documentaries and attend group discussions on human rights in Asia with 30 South Korean high school students, it added.
Lin Wei-tung, a Taiwanese high school student and one of the participants, said at a press conference Thursday that she learned much about the issue during a previous visit to the Ama Museum.
"I was very moved by their courage in coming forward," Lin said, adding that she hoped to learn more about that part of history.
Lin said she will share with her classmates what she learns during the trip. This issue needs greater attention, she added.
Lu Yi-sheng, another participant, said the documentary "Song of the Reed" triggered his interest in the comfort women issue.
"History should not be forgotten," Lu said.
The trip is being organized by Ama Museum, and Masan Changwon Jinhae Civil Assembly for Japanese Military Sexual Slaves, a South Korean group dedicated to advocating on behalf of comfort women.
It is estimated that the Japanese Imperial Army forced over 200,000 women into sexual slavery throughout Asia, including in Taiwan, China, Korea and the Philippines, during World War II.
Ama Museum, the first in Taiwan dedicated to "comfort women," opened in December 2016. It was set up by the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation.
Since 1992, the foundation has worked to help comfort women cope with the mental and emotional distress caused by their experiences, while seeking justice and compensation from Japan. It has also documented the women's stories.
More than 2,000 Taiwanese women were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II and only two who have spoken openly about their suffering are still alive, according to the foundation.
