CASE STUDY
South Korea:
Righting a decades-old wrong
BACKGROUND
KEY FACTS
“Comfort women” is a historical term referring to women who were forced to provide
sexual service to Japanese soldiers at military brothels called “comfort stations”
established by the Japanese military in its occupied territories between 1932 and
1945. “Comfort women” were women and girls taken from all over Asia and the
Pacific, with Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, Filipina, and Indonesian women
comprising the vast majority. While exact numbers are still being researched and
debated, experts using the best documentation estimate the number of “comfort
women” to be over two hundred thousand.
• The first comfort station was established in 1932
Following the democratization of South Korea, a Korean former “comfort woman”
came forward publicly for the first time in 1991, seeking a formal apology and
reparation from the Japanese government. Her action led hundreds of other women
in Korea, the Philippines, and elsewhere to come forward.
• Over 200,000 women are reported to have been
subjugated
• Only 46 Korean former comfort women survive today
• The agreement between Japan and South Korea
followed more than a dozen rounds of consultations
• The final settlement amounted to 1 billion yen
(approximately $8.3 million)
“In the end, clients
want proof of
results. Using
Synoptos’ data and
research, BGR PR
was able to provide
that by showing how
the conversation and
sentiment had
turned toward
South Korea and
away from Japan in
both traditional and
social media.”
PROBLEM
During World War II, Japan’s military captured and abused over two hundred thousand
Korean and Chinese women, taking them as sex slaves, or “comfort women.” For over 70
years, the Japanese government refused to publicly apologize for what many historians
have labeled war crimes. In early 2015, after years of stalled talks and negotiations, the
government of South Korea reignited the issue that has long been a source of sorrow and
outrage within the country.
SOLUTION
South Korea’s public affairs firm, BGR Public Relations, partnered with Synoptos to craft
a strategy for improving U.S. support for an official apology and reparations from the
Japanese government, and to assist with enhancing the campaign once launched.
Synoptos began by providing a comprehensive news and social media analysis
to determine the current public sentiment and media bias on the issue of comfort
women. Using proprietary data visualization technology and a team of experienced
human analysts, Synoptos then identified and profiled the influencers in the media
and government most critical to igniting the public debate, creating a pathway for the
campaign’s content marketing efforts.
- Frank Ahrens, Vice President, BGR PR
Throughout the campaign, Synoptos provided in-depth analyses of public opinion
among those influencers and the general public, and assessed the reach and
resonance of campaign messages and themes.
RESULTS
“Japan and South
Korea reached
an
historic
agreement,
which included an
official apology
from the Japanese
government and an
$8.3 million
settlement
for the 46 ‘comfort
women’ still alive
today.”
Facing overwhelming public support for action, Japan and South Korea reached an
historic agreement in late December, which included an official apology from the
Japanese government and an $8.3 million settlement for the 46 “comfort women”
still alive today.
Over the course of the seven-month effort, support for South Korea’s campaign for
an apology and reparations in the news media rose 83 percent. On social media,
public sentiment shifted from just 16 percent in support of South Korea’s goals to an
overwhelming 66 percent, while opposition to South Korea’s call for a public apology
declined from 64 percent to just 3 percent over the course of the year.
In the wake of shifting public opinion, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was
urged by news media and government officials to move talks forward to finally reach
a satisfactory resolution.
“Japan and South Korea are now entering a new era,” Abe said later. “We should not drag
this problem into the next generation.”
ABOUT SYNOPTOS
Washington, DC
Synoptos is a media intelligence company providing news and social insights to
help our clients understand what’s transpiring in the media, identify pathways to
influence key stakeholders, and improve operational decision-making. In short,
we provide the data essential to making informed business and communications
decisions.
Dozens of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and growing
organizations rely on us every day to provide accurate data and insights. And while
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to understand our clients and their core objectives is what sets us apart.
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Taipei
Interested in working
together? Get in touch.
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