Ms Gil Won Ok was only 13 when she was forced to be a comfort woman for Japanese soldiers in World War II.

Yesterday, the 89-year-old unveiled a 1.5m-tall statue commemorating the plight of sex slaves like her in the war. The local Korean community in Sydney proceeded with the statue's unveiling despite resistance from the Japanese community there.

Sydney's Peace Statue Establishing Committee spokesman Si Hyun Paik said the society had pooled donations of about A$50,000 (S$51,300) to bring the statue from South Korea.