Could one of America’s closest military alliances be hiding one of its darkest secrets?
More than 100 South Korean women are now demanding answers — and justice.
In a groundbreaking lawsuit, 117 survivors say they were forced into prostitution for US troops stationed in South Korea.
They are accusing Washington of abuse and demanding an apology. It’s a story few outside Korea know.
From the 1950s through the 1980s, tens of thousands of women worked in state-run “camp towns.” They served American soldiers.
In 2022, South Korea’s top court ruled the government illegally ran these brothels — but until now, no one had directly challenged the US military.
Korean Survivors Seek Justice
The testimonies are harrowing. One woman, now in her 60s, recalled being only 17 when she was deceived into the job.
“Every night we were dragged to US soldiers and sexually abused.
If there was the slightest abnormality, we were locked in a room and injected with penicillin so strong my legs gave out.”
Women’s rights activists say the US military “ignored the South Korean Constitution” and “destroyed their lives.”
Lawyers argue Seoul and Washington should both be held responsible under existing law.
The US still stations 28,500 troops in South Korea. Whether this lawsuit can rewrite decades of silence remains to be seen.
