A group of former sex workers from brothels that once operated around American military bases in South Korea has called on the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission to formally investigate decades of state-sponsored human rights abuses against them. The appeal, made at a press conference outside the commission's Seoul office on Wednesday, was joined by women's rights organisations and other civic groups, and directed at both the South Korean and US governments.

The women say the South Korean state did not merely tolerate these establishments — known in Korean as "Gijichon," meaning roughly "base villages" — but actively encouraged and regulated prostitution around the military camps as a matter of policy. Victims allege that those without valid health certificates were detained and forcibly subjected to examinations and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. "We strongly request that the victims' dignity and honour be restored through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's investigation," the groups said in a joint statement, while also calling for formal apologies from both governments.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is a South Korean state body established to examine historical human rights abuses and injustices. The push for its involvement follows a significant legal milestone: in 2022, South Korea's Supreme Court recognised state responsibility for the Gijichon system, ordering the government to pay between three million and seven million won (roughly US$2,000 to US$5,000) in compensation to each of 95 former sex workers. A separate damages suit involving 117 additional plaintiffs is currently before the courts.

The Gijichon system emerged during the decades of large-scale US military presence in South Korea, particularly from the 1950s Korean War era onward, when camp towns developed around American bases across the country. Advocates argue that official designation and regulation of these zones made the state complicit in systematic exploitation. By seeking a truth commission investigation, the groups hope to move beyond individual court settlements toward a broader official reckoning — one that would formally document the abuses, assign institutional responsibility, and restore the public standing of survivors who have long carried social stigma alongside their legal grievances.