When one of the world’s leading democracies like South Korea is unwilling to formally apologize for one of the cruelest war crimes committed by its soldiers during the Vietnam War, it seems almost unreal. However, this is where we are standing in 2021 when the Lai Dai Han are still waiting for the South Korean government to acknowledge their wrongdoings and compensate the victims of the war.
In a recent BBC article exploring the stories of the Lai Dai Han, they’ve reached out to the South Korean government for a statement regarding their situation, however they were left with empty words, claiming that the two countries have made efforts to develop their bilateral relations in order to put their ‘unfortunate’ past behind them and move forward to the future. This statement merely emphasizes the disconnect between what South Korea should be doing to improve the Lai Dai Han situation, and what is currently being done.
As Nguyen Thi Thanh claimed, “an apology might not be worth much, but it means a lot to us [the Lai Dai Han victims]”.
What will it take to make an impact that will call for the South Korean government to formally apologize and compensate for the sexual war crimes their troops committed during the Vietnam War? We don’t know, but what we do know, is that we must not remain silent, we must make a change, we must honor the remaining Lai Dai Han and improve their quality of life by demanding the South Korean government to acknowledge them.
We need to make an impact in order to make sure the Lai Dai Han are not forgotten.
Want to help us make a change? Please sign our petition to bring justice to the Lai Dai Han victims before it is too late. Click here to sign.