In Vain I Chant a Magic Verse

Abstract

This thesis explores the lives of those women who survived enforced prostitution in the comfort stations created by Japan before the surrender of the Empire in World War II. It focuses primarily on girls and women from Korea who became euphemistically known as “comfort women.” It is a story with three parts: the period of time when Korea was under colonial rule and women were coerced into comfort stations, the years of silence that followed, and the contemporary redress movement that continues today. It also includes my efforts to understand the complexities of the issue.