Sculptor to make symbol of Vietnam massacres

The Vietnam Pieta sculpture placed on Jeju Island, created by the artist couple Kim Un-sung and Kim Seo-kyung. / Courtesy of Kim Un-sung

By Choi Ha-young

Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Un-sung

The "comfort women" statue, created by sculptor couple Kim Un-sung and Kim Seo-kyung, has been at the center of the diplomatic row between Korea and Japan. A symbol of the wartime sex slavery during World War II, several comfort women statues have been erected, including one near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul in 2011 and another in front of the Japanese Consulate in Busan last year.

The couple is now planning to make yet another historical symbol of the Korean soldiers' alleged massacres of civilians during the Vietnam War. They made the decision after being disappointed by President Moon Jae-in's Memorial Day speech, in which he lauded Korean veterans who fought in Vietnam as an ally of the United States.

"If Koreans hope for the Japanese government's sincere apology, we should do the same for the Vietnamese. I hope President Moon becomes the South Korean Willy Brandt, who fell to his knees for Holocaust victims," Kim Un-sung said.

"This would be our declaration to uphold peace and human rights. The Korean government's public apology would empower our voice in international society, while bewildering the Japanese government."

For the symbolic motion, the vocal artist proposed President Moon to install a "Vietnam Pieta" at the Korean Embassy in Vietnam, as South Korean peace activists have been doing so all over the world. The sculpture that embodies a mother holding a baby symbolizes the civilians killed by Korean soldiers.

"Japan has showered its victims with financial support without recognizing its past wrongdoings. On the other hand, the chancellor of Germany took a faithful gesture," he said.

At the same time, Kim Un-sung hopes the South Korea veterans regain their honor. The Koreans, mobilized to the war, have been branded as murderers. However, those who've suffered long-term effects from exposure to defoliants and trauma are also victims, he said.

"The decision to join hands for the unjustified war was made by ex-President Park Chung-hee. This explains why the government, not the soldiers, should be accused of the atrocities."

The pieta sculpture is now placed on Jeju Island. The artists tried to donate it to Vietnam last year, but were restrained by ex-President Park Geun-hye, Park Chung-hee's daughter.

President Moon, a former human rights lawyer, is scheduled to visit the Vietnamese city Danang in November to take part in an APEC meeting. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, a veteran U.N. official who has emphasized human rights diplomacy, is likely to accompany him.

"South Korea's proactive apology will raise our place in the international community. Ultimately, I hope the consecutive apologies lead to a Japanese Willy Brandt as well," he said.

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