[1] Instead of being taken to a factory, Gil Won-ok was taken to Harbin, Manchuria, and brought to a comfort station in the winter of 1940 where, from thirteen to eighteen years old, she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Japanese soldiers.

[1] During the years Gil Won-ok spent as a victim of military sexual slavery, she contracted syphilis, which formed tumors in her body, leading to four surgeries.

[2] After coming out with the sexual violence that was forced upon her, Gil Won-ok became an activist, advocating for an official apology from Japan for the crimes they committed during World War II.

[1] Along with participating in the Wednesday Demonstrations, Gil Won-ok travels the world speaking at various location such as the Japanese Women's University, sharing her story while also advocating for an official apology from Japan.

In 2014, Gil Won-ok traveled to Geneva, Switzerland where she delivered 1.5 million signatures to the office of the high commissioner of human rights at The United Nations.