(submitted by gekkogecko)


SEOUL (Reuters) - The South Korean publisher behind a
plan to sell erotic photographs depicting Asian sex
slaves who served Japanese soldiers during World War
Two has publicly burned the images in a bid to quell a
firestorm of protests.

The saga began with a plan by Netian Entertainment to
sell on the Internet semi-nude photographs and a video
of actress and former Miss Korea Lee Seung-yeon posing
submissively in wartime brothel garb under the theme
of "comfort women".

"Comfort women" is the Japanese euphemism for the
estimated 200,000 mostly Korean women who were
conscripted to serve in battle zone brothels across
Asia run by Japan's government during the war.

Facing protests by surviving sex slaves, the
35-year-old Lee visited the residence of seven of the
elderly women and tearfully apologised on her knees.

The women rejected Lee's apology, gave her a stern
history lecture and told her they would accept her
apology only when the photos were destroyed. One of
the pictures showed Lee cowering before a male model
dressed as a Japanese soldier.

Activists for the women vowed to start a campaign to
end Lee's show business career.

Netian Entertainment head Park Ji-woo, who directed
the project held a news conference on Thursday at
which he showed photos shot in the Philippines in an
effort to demonstrate what he said was the "sincerity"
behind the project.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," said Park, crouched on his
knees as he burned sheets of photographs. He had
shaved his head on Monday in a traditional show of
repentance.

Resentment over Japan's 1910-45 occupation of the
Korea peninsula remains strong in South Korea (news -
web sites) -- even though the two neighbours now trade
extensively and cooperate diplomatically through their
bilateral alliances with the United States.

South Korea last year relaxed 60-year-old restrictions
on imports of Japanese films, music and cultural
items. This month, Seoul hosted demonstration sumo
matches in the first display of Japan's traditional
wrestling since the colonial era.

A dwindling group of elderly South Korean and other
Asian survivors from among the comfort women have been
fighting an uphill legal battle for the past decade to
win an official Japanese government apology. About a
dozen women protest outside Japan's Seoul embassy each week.

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