EVERYONE HAS an unforgettable memory of his or her own, whether it be good or bad. For the Korean victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese soldiers during the Japanese colonial period, such a memory is engraved in their hearts as han, or grudge. These so-called comfort women have now become grandmothers, but the scar becoming more vivid day by day still remains in their hearts, for they have not yet even received an official apology from Japan. Thus, these old ladies have gathered in front of Japanese embassy every Wednesday since 1992 to hold demonstrations to demand an apology from the Japanese government, whether there is sunshine, rain, or snow.

   Recently, there has been a change in the political landscape of Japan, as the dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s 54 years of rule ended in the Parliamentary Election of August 30. As Yukio Hatoyama of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) took over the Prime Minister post in Sept. 16, expectations for new developments in Korea-Japan relations are high in both countries. However, as long as fundamental scars of history between Korea and Japan are not settled, there can hardly be any room for further improvement. Among the disputed history, the comfort women issue can be said to be the most urgent, since many victims have already passed away and even those remaining are quite old. In the face of grand change, it is time that the Japanese government takes a prudent move and tries to find a profound solution to cure the scars of the comfort women. Along with such change, the Korean government should also actively look for ways to console these women's pain without scratching the relationship with Japan. Let the two countries wisely use this momentum as a spurt toward a deeper relationship for the future.

Kim Hwa-young (Editor-in-Chief)
annals@yonsei.ac.kr