A Korean woman who was among those forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II is visiting two New Jersey memorials to so-called `comfort women' that were built to honor their struggle.

Monument to "comfort women" in Palisades Park (WABC-TV)
Monument to "comfort women" in Palisades Park (WABC-TV)
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Okseon Yi traveled from Korea and visited memorials in Hackensack and Palisades Park on Monday.

The 86-year-old Yi is visiting memorials across the U.S. to raise awareness about the plight of the comfort women and pressure the Japanese government to acknowledge the young women did not enter the sex trade voluntarily.

She also visited a group of students in Queens, N.Y. last week who have been studying the issue.

The comfort women issue remains a point of contention between Japanese and South Korean officials.

Japanese government officials initially asked Palisades Park to remove the memorial.

 

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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