SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung pledged Friday to restore the honor of South Korean women sexually enslaved by Japan during World War II, saying Seoul will play a central role in Asia in promoting the values of human rights and peace.

"I will work responsibly until the honor and dignity of each and every victim are fully restored," Lee said in his message, read by his chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, to a ceremony commemorating the so-called "comfort women."

Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in front-line brothels for Japanese soldiers during World War II, when Korea was a Japanese colony from 1910-45.

South Korea commemorates Aug. 14 as the day for victims of sexual slavery by Japan, marking the date in 1991 when a victim came forward publicly for the first time to speak about the wartime atrocity.

"Thanks to the sharing of the painful memory with the world, we have been able to engrave in our hearts the lesson that history should not be neglected so that the same tragedy will not be repeated," Lee said.

The president said passing on the values of human rights and peace to future generations is a shared responsibility of society, pledging to establish a foundation for women's human rights and peace through which Seoul will play a central role in Asia in promoting those values globally.

pbr@yna.co.kr

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