Gil was only 13 years old when she was forced to serve as a sex slavery by imperial Japan during the war. With Gil's passing, only seven survivors now remain.
"Gil was an active advocate for raising awareness about sex slavery both domestically and internationally. We hope she finds peace," said Shin Young-sook, deputy minister of Gender Equality and Family, expressing her condolences.
A total of 240 victims have officially registered with the government, of which 233 have died to date.
But historical records suggest that as many as 200,000 young girls were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers.
Many South Koreans, including a few surviving victims, have continued to hold weekly protests in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, demanding a sincere apology from Tokyo for their wartime atrocities.
As part of a 2015 agreement, Japan pledged to donate one billion yen ($6.6 million) to a foundation set up to support the victims. In return, Japan urged Seoul to remove statues honoring them that were placed by civic groups outside Japanese diplomatic missions.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.