PHOTO EXHIBITION OF WARTIME VICTIMS

[Anchor Lead]

A traveling exhibition about the lives of the Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery was launched. One sexual slavery victim came to the exhibit to criticize Japan's provocation and asked the future generations to remember the painful history.

[Pkg]

The late Kim Sun-duk and Lee Yong-soo making funny faces. The late Kim Bok-dong making a heart with her hands. Park Ok-sun dancing to celebrate her birthday. A photo exhibition featuring the ordinary lives of Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery has opened in Seoul.

[Soundbite] SHIN YEONG-WUK(VISITOR) : "It's sad that this issue still hasn't been resolved even as these women continue to depart from us."

The exhibition is comprised of these women's past, present and future. The syringes used to give them injections to prevent sexually transmitted diseases remind visitors of their painful memories. The never before shown photographs of their daily lives ask visitors to remember them as ordinary people. One survivor of that wartime atrocity came to the exhibition and criticized Japan's provocation.

[Soundbite] LEE OK-SUN(VICTIM OF JAPAN'S WARTIME SEXUAL SLAVERY) : "This statue is us. Why does it have to be removed when we raised money to put it up?"

The exhibition will travel to Cheongju, Busan and Daejeon in Korea before opening in Berlin, Germany in September. Japan was initially also an included destination, but that plan was scrapped.

[Soundbite] AHN SHIN-KWON(DIR., HOUSE OF SHARING) : "The plan was withdrawn while we were looking for an exhibition hall in Okinawa. There was pressure from right-wing activists to stop this exhibition."

Now there are only 20 surviving Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery. They have only one wish.

[Soundbite] LEE OK-SUN(VICTIM OF JAPAN'S WARTIME SEXUAL SLAVERY) : "Will Abe ever come to apologize to us? Why does he have to apologize? Because there are future generations."