社説：朴教授の起訴　歴史研究への介入憂う
毎日新聞　2015年11月21日

　慰安婦問題を扱った「帝国の慰安婦」の著者である韓国・世宗（セ・ジョン）大の朴裕河（パク・ユハ）教授が、元慰安婦に対する名誉毀損（きそん）の罪で在宅起訴された。

　著作は、女性の性をも動員の対象とした「帝国」というシステムに着目した意欲的な研究だ。帝国主義日本の植民地だった朝鮮の女性たちが「愛国」を強要され、慰安婦として戦場に送り込まれた構図を描いた。朴教授が日本向けに書き下ろした同名の日本語版は、今年の「アジア・太平洋賞」特別賞に選ばれるなど高く評価されている。

　在宅起訴は、元慰安婦らによる告訴を受けたものだ。ソウル東部地検は、慰安婦が「性奴隷」だったことは証明されていると規定。朴教授が「自発的な売春婦」であったかのように記述して被害者たちの社会的評価を著しく傷つけ、「学問の自由を逸脱した」と結論づけた。

　朴教授は、朝鮮人慰安婦と日本軍の関係を「基本的に同志的」と表現して問題視された。だが著作から読みとれるのは、「帝国」に動員された一線の兵士と慰安婦の双方を弱者と捉える視線である。朴教授は、兵士の側に朝鮮人に対する強い差別意識があったことを批判してもいる。

　著作は、「性奴隷」や「売春婦」という極論から距離を置いた冷静な姿勢故に高い評価を得たといえる。

　韓国では、近代における日本との歴史は冷静な議論になりにくい。帝国主義日本がすべて悪いという「正しい歴史認識」以外を認めない雰囲気が強く、異論を許さないからだ。

　感情論や政治性を排した歴史研究の自由を保障することは、将来世代のためにも重要だ。韓国の憲法が「学問・芸術の自由」を明記しているのは、そうした認識に立っているからではないのか。

　朴教授は高校卒業後に慶応大へ進学し、早稲田大大学院で博士号を取得した。帰国後の２０００年に韓国で出した著作で、非理性的な日本たたきは偏狭な民族主義を助長するだけだと主張して注目された。

　その後も日韓双方の問題点を指摘して和解への道を模索。特に慰安婦問題では、対立に終始してきた両国から距離を置いた「第三の声」の重要性を強調してきた。

　慰安婦問題はソウルで３年半ぶりに実現した日韓首脳会談で「早期妥結」が確認されたばかりだ。両国には、互いを尊重しながら合意を導き出す努力が求められている。

　慰安婦問題は日韓両国で感情的反応を呼びやすい。そうしたテーマで学問の自由を軽視したかのような検察の判断は、韓国に対する日本社会の違和感を強める恐れがある。今回の在宅起訴は、両国の国民感情の悪化にもつながりかねない。

http://megalodon.jp/2015-1122-1828-35/www.peeep.us/611cd033
https://web.archive.org/web/20151122092843/http://www.peeep.us/611cd033
http://www.webcitation.org/6dE6PlWvG

Editorial: Respecting academic freedom

Park Yu-ha, a professor at Sejong University in Seoul, has been indicted without arrest on charges of libel in connection with a book she authored on so-called “comfort women.”

The book, “Teikoku no Ianfu” (Comfort women of the empire), is based on ambitious research by Park. She paid attention to the empire system in which women were mobilized to provide sexual services. In her book, Park described the situation in which Korean women were forced to muster up a spirit of loyalty toward Japan and were sent to battlefields as comfort women. The Japanese edition of the book has been highly evaluated, winning an Asia-Pacific Award this year.

South Korean prosecutors indicted professor Park in response to a criminal complaint filed by former comfort women. The Seoul Eastern District Public Prosecutors’ Office asserted it has been proved that comfort women were sex slaves. Prosecutors then concluded that Park’s book badly damaged the social appraisal of victims by describing comfort women as if they had voluntarily worked as prostitutes, and that she had taken academic freedom too far.

Professor Park’s description of relations between Korean comfort women and Japan’s military as being basically like comrades has been called into question. However, her book suggests she means that both Japanese soldiers and the comfort women who were conscripted by the “empire” were “the weak” in society. Park also criticizes Japanese servicemen for having a strong sense of discrimination against Koreans.

Her book won high acclaim as she was able to calmly distance herself from extreme arguments that comfort women were either “sex slaves” or “prostitutes.”

In South Korea, it is difficult to hold calm discussions on the modern history of its relations with Japan. An atmosphere is prevalent in the country in which any objection to what is regarded as “correct historical perceptions” — namely, that imperialist Japan is solely to blame — is not tolerated.

Guaranteeing freedom of historical research without influence by sentiment and politics is important for future generations. The provision in the South Korean Constitution on academic freedom and freedom of the arts is apparently based on this recognition.

Professor Park went on to Keio University in Tokyo after graduating from high school, and earned a doctorate at a graduate school of Waseda University, also in Tokyo. Park drew attention when she warned in a book she published in 2000 after returning home that irrational Japan-bashing would only fan narrow-minded nationalism.

Park subsequently pursued reconciliation between Japan and South Korea, while pointing out problems involving both countries. With regard to the comfort women issue, she has underscored the need for a “third voice” distancing itself from the two countries, which have constantly been in conflict.

At a recent summit, held between Japan and South Korea for the first time in 3 1/2 years, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye agreed to reconcile over the comfort women issue at an early date. The two countries need to make efforts to reach an agreement while respecting each other’s position.

The comfort women issue tends to provoke emotional reactions in both countries. We fear that South Korean prosecutors’ indictment of professor Park over such a topic, as if to make light of academic freedom, could contribute to a sense of discomfort in Japan toward South Korea. The indictment could aggravate national sentiments in both countries.

November 21, 2015

http://megalodon.jp/2015-1122-1835-09/mainichi.jp/english/english/perspectives/news/20151121p2a00m0na016000c.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20151122093527/http://mainichi.jp/english/english/perspectives/news/20151121p2a00m0na016000c.html