SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hundreds of South Koreans are mourning the death of a former sex slave for the Japanese military during World War II by demanding reparations from Tokyo over wartime atrocities.

Kim Bok Dong had been a vocal protest leader at the weekly rallies held every Wednesday in Seoul for nearly 30 years. She died on Monday following a battle with cancer. She was 92.

Kim was one of the first victims to speak out and break decades of silence over Japan's wartime sexual slavery that experts say forced thousands of Asian women into front-line brothels. She traveled around the world testifying about her experience, including speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2016.

Of the 239 Korean women who have come forward as victims, only 23 are still alive.