Speaker: Academia.edu, ORCID

Abstract: »The Korean TV show Eyes of Dawn, which aired from 1991 to 1992, was not just a depiction of the ‘comfort women’ issue. It was a narrative that brought this issue to the forefront of Korean society and played a pivotal role in shaping collective memory. Its significance is underscored by its coincidence with the 1990 statement by the Korean women's community on the ‘comfort women’ issue and Kim Hak-soon's first testimony in 1991.
Yeo-ok, the female protagonist, is portrayed as both the daughter of an independence activist and a woman who was taken as a ‘comfort woman’. She later worked as an American military intelligence agent during the liberation period and subsequently as a North Korean spy and guerrilla before her death. This portrayal of the female protagonist reflects the anxiety surrounding female spies in the post-Cold War era, who were often depicted as sexual figures during the Cold War and now serve as symbols of national suffering. By connecting the narrative of Eyes of Dawn to the real experiences of women in the postcolonial Cold War era, this presentation offers a compelling reinterpretation of history from the perspective of ‘comfort women.’« (Source: Online Program)

Wikipedia: History of Asia: History of Japan / Shōwa era | History of Asia: History of Korea / Korea under Japanese rule, History of South Korea | Film: Films about comfort women | Television: South Korean television series / Eyes of Dawn | Prostitution: Forced prostitution / Comfort women | Sex and the law: Wartime sexual violence / Wartime sexual violence in World War II | War: Pacific War / Japanese war crimes