Kim Hak Sun was born in 1924 in Jilin, China, after her parents emigrated from Korea during the oppressive Japanese colonial rule. When she returned to Pyongyang, Korea, after her father's death, she attended a missionary school. However, when she had a hard time adjusting to her remarried mother and her family, she was sent to live with a foster family. Kim's foster father sold her to Beijing, where she was forced to work as a Comfort Woman with four other women. After four months, she was able to escape. The man who helped her escape became her husband and the father of her children. However, Kim lost her children and husband due to illnesses. After 50 years of silence, on August 14, 1991, Kim officially testified in front of the press at the Council for the Issue of Comfort Stations. After Kim's groundbreaking testimony, other victims began to come forward and officially registered as a Comfort Woman. In total, around 200 victims form the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Korea, and the Netherlands came forward. Kim continued to be a powerful activist in the women's fight for justice. She was part of a lawsuit filed at the Tokyo District Court in 1991, requiring reparations and an apology. She regularly spoke at rallies in front of the Japanese Embassy of Korea. Despite her illness, she gave her final interview in which she continued to demand a proper apology from the highest Japanese official. On December 16, 1997, she passed away, but her legacy remains. August 14 is officially the day of the Comfort Women, commemorating the day Kim Hak Sun had the courage to speak up for thousands of silent victims.