Dear Someone

Publication
A Cross Sectional research based essay
(44 page/Perfect Bound)
Seoul, Korea, 2022

Dear Someone is a Self-published short illustrated research-based essay in collaboration with 15 socio-political researchers on the topic of Japanese military sex slaves during World War II.

Dear Someone was published to convey the newfound and familiar narratives I discovered during <Peace Road 2020>, where a small group of multidisciplinary researchers contemplated the lives of 'Comfort Women' grandmothers after their untold struggles.

In this book, the Peace Road 2020 team explores the stories of grandmothers who suffered under the Japanese military comfort system. Despite decades since the world learned of their pain, these women still endure historical distortion and ongoing societal/political issues. The team studies their experiences, while addressing their future. They realise these grandmothers were once daughters and mothers before the trauma. The narrative prioritises these individual lives over the broader "comfort women movement."

<Dear Someone> is a visual essay where I, a storyteller and visual facilitator, record my experiences from Peace Road in the form of a diary to preserve them for future generations. I envision this book as a vast meadow, a space where grandmothers who have suffered in the past, I, who study and write about their plight, and those who discover and remember the victims can coexist. I wish that the process of exploring this space is not seen as a shortcut but rather an enriching journey for those who take their time.

The collaboration between researchers, the heartfelt illustrations, and the meticulously gathered research stand as a tribute to the countless lives affected by this dark period in history and a fervent hope that the distortion of history comes to an end. Through the pages of this essay, their voices echo, ensuring that their experiences, pain, and resilience are not forgotten but rather serve as a testament to the strength of those who endured unfathomable hardships.