Kim Hak-seon

Kim Hak-sun (1924–1997) was a Korean human rights activist famous for her courageous campaign against sex slavery and wartime sexual violence. In the early 1930s until the end of the Pacific War, Kim was forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army. She became the first woman in Korea to publicly testify about her experience as a comfort woman for the Japanese military on 14 August 1991. In December 1991, she filed a class-action lawsuit against the Japanese government seeking reparations for the damages inflicted during the war. Kim's brave testimony inspired hundreds of women from various countries to come forward and share their stories. She passed away in 1997 while her court case was still ongoing.