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.hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">In this <a href="/wiki/Korean_name" title="Korean name">Korean name</a>, the family name is <i> <a href="/wiki/Gil_(Korean_surname)" title="Gil (Korean surname)">Gil</a></i>.</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox biography vcard"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above" style="font-size:125%;"><div class="fn">Gil Won-ok</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="/wiki/File:Gil_Won-ok,_2011_(cropped).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Gil_Won-ok%2C_2011_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Gil_Won-ok%2C_2011_%28cropped%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="336" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Gil_Won-ok%2C_2011_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="239" data-file-height="365" /></a></span><div class="infobox-caption">Gil protesting in front of the Japanese embassy in Korea in August 2011</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Born</th><td class="infobox-data"><span style="display:none">(<span class="bday">1928-11-30</span>)</span>30 November 1928<br /><div style="display:inline" class="birthplace"><a href="/wiki/Huichon" title="Huichon">Huichon</a>, <a href="/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule" title="Korea under Japanese rule">Korea</a>, <a href="/wiki/Empire_of_Japan" title="Empire of Japan">Empire of Japan</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Died</th><td class="infobox-data">16 February 2025<span style="display:none">(2025-02-16)</span> (aged 96)<br /><div style="display:inline" class="deathplace"><a href="/wiki/Incheon" title="Incheon">Incheon</a>, South Korea</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Known for</th><td class="infobox-data">Activism for <a href="/wiki/Comfort_women" title="Comfort women">comfort women</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Children</th><td class="infobox-data">1</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1257001546"></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #b0c4de;">Korean name</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="/wiki/Hangul" title="Hangul">Hangul</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="display: inline; font-size: 1rem;"><span title="Korean-language text"><span lang="ko-Hang">길원옥</span></span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="/wiki/Hanja" title="Hanja">Hanja</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="display: inline; font-size: 1rem;"><span title="Korean-language text"><span lang="ko-Hani">吉元玉</span></span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="/wiki/Revised_Romanization_of_Korean" title="Revised Romanization of Korean">Revised Romanization</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><span title="Revised Romanization of Korean transliteration"><i lang="ko-Latn">Gil Won-ok</i></span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="/wiki/McCune%E2%80%93Reischauer" title="McCune–Reischauer">McCune–Reischauer</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><span title="McCune–Reischauer transliteration"><i lang="ko-Latn">Kil Wŏn-ok</i></span></td></tr><tr style="display:none"><td colspan="2"> </td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>Gil Won-ok</b> (<a href="/wiki/Korean_language" title="Korean language">Korean</a>: <span title="Korean-language text"><span lang="ko-Hang">길원옥</span></span>, 30 November 1928 – 16 February 2025), also known as <b>Grandma Gil</b>, was a Korean activist who was forced into becoming a <a href="/wiki/Comfort_women" title="Comfort women">comfort woman</a> during <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a>. She dedicated her life to demanding redress and an official apology from Japan for the military sexual violence that affected over 200,000 women in the war.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Early_life">Early life</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Gil_Won-ok&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Early life"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Gil Won-ok was born in 1928, probably on 30 November,<sup id="cite_ref-Murphy_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Murphy-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> in <a href="/wiki/Huichon" title="Huichon">Huichon</a>, <a href="/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule" title="Korea under Japanese rule">Korea, Empire of Japan</a>, and spent her early years in <a href="/wiki/Pyongyang" title="Pyongyang">Pyongyang</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Choe_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Choe-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 1940, at the age of thirteen, Gil boarded a train to a Japanese factory where she was promised work.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Instead of being taken to a factory, Gil was taken to <a href="/wiki/Harbin" title="Harbin">Harbin</a>, <a href="/wiki/Manchuria" title="Manchuria">Manchuria</a>, and brought to a <a href="/wiki/Comfort_station_(sex)" class="mw-redirect" title="Comfort station (sex)">comfort station</a> in the winter of 1940 where, from thirteen to eighteen years old, she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Japanese soldiers.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During the years Gil spent as a victim of military sexual slavery, she contracted <a href="/wiki/Syphilis" title="Syphilis">syphilis</a>, which generated tumors in her body, leading to four surgeries.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Complications from surgery prompted doctors to give Gil a <a href="/wiki/Hysterectomy" title="Hysterectomy">hysterectomy</a> which left her sterile.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> After the war, Gil tried to go back home to North Korea, but when she got to the border, it was closed. Gil never was able to return home.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> She later operated a food stand and sold <a href="/wiki/Makgeolli" title="Makgeolli">Korean rice wine</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Murphy_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Murphy-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Activist_work">Activist work</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Gil_Won-ok&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Activist work"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In 1998, Gil followed the lead of previous comfort women and publicly came out about the sexual violence that was forcefully inflicted upon her for five years of her life.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_3-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Gil later became an activist, advocating for an official apology from Japan for the crimes they committed during World War II. Even though she was unable to bear children, she adopted a son after he was left at a gambling house where she worked. He is now a minister.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In later years, Gil lived with other former comfort women in a home run by <a href="/wiki/The_Korean_Council_for_the_Women_Drafted_for_Military_Sexual_Slavery_by_Japan" title="The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan">The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan</a> called Our Peaceful House.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>After she publicly came out about the violent crimes that were inflicted upon her by the <a href="/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Army" title="Imperial Japanese Army">Japanese Imperial Army</a>, she vowed to dedicate the rest of her life to demanding an official apology from Japan, as they failed to take accountability for the crimes that were committed during World War II. Every Wednesday, Gil participated in the <a href="/wiki/Wednesday_demonstration" title="Wednesday demonstration">Wednesday Demonstrations</a>, which have been held every week since 8 January 1992, in front of the Japanese Embassy in Korea as an act of protest.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Along with participating in the Wednesday Demonstrations, Gil travelled the world speaking at locations including the Japanese Women's University, sharing her story while also advocating for an official apology from Japan.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> She also participated in the 100 Million Petition Campaign, where the goal was to gather 100 million signatures demanding redress for comfort women. In 2014, Gil traveled to <a href="/wiki/Geneva" title="Geneva">Geneva, Switzerland</a>, where she delivered a petition of 1.5 million signatures to the <a href="/wiki/Office_of_the_United_Nations_High_Commissioner_for_Human_Rights" title="Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights">Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights</a> at the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations" title="United Nations">United Nations</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_Butterfly_Fund">The Butterfly Fund</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Gil_Won-ok&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: The Butterfly Fund"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In 2012, Gil and another former comfort woman, <a href="/wiki/Kim_Bok-dong" title="Kim Bok-dong">Kim Bok-dong</a>, started The Butterfly Fund with the help of The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan as a way to help victims of sexual <a href="/wiki/War_crime" title="War crime">war crimes</a> around the world.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Both women vowed to donate all the funds they received as compensation for the war crimes that were inflicted on them in order to help women who were put in similar situations to theirs.<sup id="cite_ref-:2_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:2-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some of the individuals who were recipients of the fund include victims of the <a href="/wiki/Second_Congo_War" title="Second Congo War">Second Congo War</a> along with rape victims from the <a href="/wiki/Vietnam_War" title="Vietnam War">Vietnam War</a> whose violence was inflicted by Koreans.<sup id="cite_ref-:2_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:2-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="The_Apology"><i>The Apology</i></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Gil_Won-ok&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: The Apology"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/The_Apology_(2016_film)" title="The Apology (2016 film)">The Apology (2016 film)</a></div> <p>The 2016 documentary film <i>The Apology</i>, directed by Tiffany Hsiung, follows three former comfort women who share their personal stories as victims of wartime sexual slavery, while also focusing on the ways in which they are demanding an official apology from Japan. The film focuses on Gil's personal experience as a comfort woman, while also following her through her travel as an activist. In the film, Gil travels to the Japanese Women's University, China, and finally Switzerland where she presented the United Nations a petition of 1.5 million signatures demanding redress for the 200,000 women who were victims of wartime sexual slavery.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Personal_life_and_death">Personal life and death</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Gil_Won-ok&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Personal life and death"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Gil had one son, whom she adopted.<sup id="cite_ref-Choe_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Choe-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Sources differ on if she was ever married; <i><a href="/wiki/The_Washington_Post" title="The Washington Post">The Washington Post</a></i> said she had a brief marriage that ended in divorce,<sup id="cite_ref-Murphy_2-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Murphy-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> while <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i> said she never married.<sup id="cite_ref-Choe_4-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Choe-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Gil's health declined in her later years due to <a href="/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease" title="Alzheimer's disease">Alzheimer's disease</a>, and she died at her home in <a href="/wiki/Incheon" title="Incheon">Incheon</a> on 16 February 2025, at the age of 96.<sup id="cite_ref-Choe_4-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Choe-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Gil_Won-ok&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-lower-alpha"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Sources mislabel her age as "97".</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Gil_Won-ok&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626"><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-:0-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-8"><sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-9"><sup><i><b>j</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-10"><sup><i><b>k</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Lee, Anita. (Producer) & Hsiung, T. (Director). (2016). <i>The Apology</i> [Film]. Canada: National Film Board of Canada.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Murphy-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Murphy_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Murphy_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Murphy_2-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFMurphy2025" class="citation news cs1">Murphy, Brian (18 February 2025). <span class="id-lock-limited" title="Free access subject to limited trial, subscription normally required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/02/18/gil-won-ok-comfort-women-dies/">"Gil Won-ok, memory keeper of wartime sex slavery by Japan, dies at 96"</a></span>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Washington_Post" title="The Washington Post">The Washington Post</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">18 February</span> 2025</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Washington+Post&rft.atitle=Gil+Won-ok%2C+memory+keeper+of+wartime+sex+slavery+by+Japan%2C+dies+at+96&rft.date=2025-02-18&rft.aulast=Murphy&rft.aufirst=Brian&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fobituaries%2F2025%2F02%2F18%2Fgil-won-ok-comfort-women-dies%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGil+Won-ok" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:1-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:1_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:1_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:1_3-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSon2018" class="citation book cs1">Son, Elizabeth (2018). <i>Embodied Reckonings</i>. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.3998%2Fmpub.8773540">10.3998/mpub.8773540</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780472130733" title="Special:BookSources/9780472130733"><bdi>9780472130733</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Embodied+Reckonings&rft.place=Ann+Arbor%2C+MI&rft.pub=University+of+Michigan+Press&rft.date=2018&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.3998%2Fmpub.8773540&rft.isbn=9780472130733&rft.aulast=Son&rft.aufirst=Elizabeth&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGil+Won-ok" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Choe-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Choe_4-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Choe_4-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Choe_4-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Choe_4-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFChoe2025" class="citation news cs1">Choe, Sang-hun (18 February 2025). <span class="id-lock-limited" title="Free access subject to limited trial, subscription normally required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/world/asia/korea-comfort-women-advocate-obituary.html">"Gil Won-ok, Victim of Wartime Sex Slavery Who Fought for Japan's Apology, Dies at 96"</a></span>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">18 February</span> 2025</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Gil+Won-ok%2C+Victim+of+Wartime+Sex+Slavery+Who+Fought+for+Japan%E2%80%99s+Apology%2C+Dies+at+96&rft.date=2025-02-18&rft.aulast=Choe&rft.aufirst=Sang-hun&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F18%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fkorea-comfort-women-advocate-obituary.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGil+Won-ok" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFShim2017" class="citation journal cs1">Shim, Young-Hee (September 2017). "Metamorphosis of the Korean 'Comfort Women': How Did Han 恨 Turn into the Cosmopolitan Morality?". <i>Development and Society</i>. <b>46</b> (2): <span class="nowrap">251–</span>278. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/90013929">90013929</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Development+and+Society&rft.atitle=Metamorphosis+of+the+Korean+%27Comfort+Women%27%3A+How+Did+Han+%E6%81%A8+Turn+into+the+Cosmopolitan+Morality%3F&rft.volume=46&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E251-%3C%2Fspan%3E278&rft.date=2017-09&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F90013929%23id-name%3DJSTOR&rft.aulast=Shim&rft.aufirst=Young-Hee&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGil+Won-ok" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:2-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:2_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:2_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140824000084">"In solidarity with wartime rape victims"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Korea_Herald" title="The Korea Herald">The Korea Herald</a></i>. 24 August 2014. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190129181649/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140824000084">Archived</a> from the original on 29 January 2019<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">14 June</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Korea+Herald&rft.atitle=In+solidarity+with+wartime+rape+victims&rft.date=2014-08-24&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.koreaherald.com%2Fview.php%3Fud%3D20140824000084&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGil+Won-ok" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10421194">"<span class="cs1-kern-left"></span>'Comfort woman,' activist Gil Won-ok dies at 97"</a>. <i>The Korea Herald</i>. 16 February 2025<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">16 February</span> 2025</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Korea+Herald&rft.atitle=%27Comfort+woman%2C%27+activist+Gil+Won-ok+dies+at+97&rft.date=2025-02-16&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.koreaherald.com%2Farticle%2F10421194&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGil+Won-ok" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Gil_Won-ok&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10295946/">Gil Won-ok</a> at <a href="/wiki/IMDb_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="IMDb (identifier)">IMDb</a></li></ul> <div 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