I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
The Statue of Peace in Berlin
A Statue of Peace is nestled in a residential area of Berlin's Mitte district in Germany, in this picture taken on Nov. 24, 2024. Korea Times photo by Kang Hyun-kyung
By Kang Hyun-kyung
BERLIN — A bronze statue of a teenage girl in traditional Korean hanbok attire caught my attention as I was on a bus heading to my hotel in the central Berlin district of Mitte on Nov. 24, 2024.
After reaching my hotel, I headed back to the street to find the location of the statue and confirm whether it was the same as the Statue of Peace I had seen in South Korea. Sure enough, it was. This was a Statue of Peace, also known as the Statue of the Girl, symbolizing the approximately 200,000 Korean women euphemistically known as "comfort women." These women were forced into sex slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.
The statue was located in Fair Park, a small urban space nestled in a residential area of Mitte. Beside it was a chair in the same bronze color, but there was no information provided about the meaning of the statue or chair, nor any indication of the artist behind it.
As a Korean, I am deeply familiar with the tragic history of comfort women and the immense suffering they endured, both during the war and in its aftermath. As a journalist, I have interviewed survivors of wartime sex slavery and listened to their harrowing stories. Their words still haunt me. In South Korea, a group of activists spearheaded the memorial project to honor the victims and raise awareness of sex trafficking and wartime sexual violence. Collaborating with artists, they installed the original Statue of Peace near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. However, this installation quickly became a diplomatic issue, as the Japanese government protested and demanded its removal.
I knew that the statues had been installed in several other countries, including the United States. But before my business trip to Berlin in November, I had no idea the German capital also had one. Standing before the statue, I was struck silent. It was a reminder of a tragic history that should never be repeated.
My contemplation of wartime sex slavery was abruptly interrupted when a Thai friend, whom I had met during a program hosted by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, a think tank affiliated with the Free Democratic Party of Germany, asked me about the statue.
"Who is this girl? What does this statue stand for?" she inquired.
Her questions made me realize that the Statue of Peace in Berlin was missing something crucial. My Thai friend wasn't the only one who would be left wondering about the meaning behind the installation. German citizens and tourists from around the world who passed by would likely have the same questions. Unlike my friend, who came to have some knowledge of Korea's tragic colonial history because of me, many Germans and foreign nationals might walk by the statue without understanding what it represents or why it's there. Their questions, like my friend's, would remain unanswered.
The Statue of Peace was introduced to serve as a permanent reminder of wartime sexual enslavement. However, delivering on this mission is difficult when relevant information is not made available.
The unfortunate reality is that the Statue of Peace has become a diplomatic headache for both South Korea and Germany. Activists have refused to comply with the local authorities' orders to remove the statue from public space, exacerbating tensions.
The statue was set up in September 2020 by a civic group in Germany, the Korea Association, which worked with local authorities to establish it in an urban park. The permit granted for the statue was temporary, with a scheduled removal date of September 2022. The two-year permit expired, but the statue remained in place as of Nov. 24, 2024, more than two years beyond its expiration.
A tug-of-war has ensued between activists and the district authorities regarding the statue's relocation. In October last year, the Korea Association received an eviction order from Mitte district authorities. They were warned that failure to remove the statue would result in a fine of 3,000 euros, with the possibility of further forceful measures if the order was not followed.
Media reports said that the district authorities suggested three possible sites for the statue’s relocation, but the civic group rejected these options. The situation has since escalated, with neither side willing to back down, triggering a diplomatic dispute between South Korea and Germany.
District authorities have stated that, if the statue is not removed, it will hinder Germany’s diplomatic relations with other countries, as the statue represents a spat between South Korea and Japan, something Germany has no interest in being involved with. They also argue that the statue does not align with Germany's culture of memorial and remembrance.
Tensions resurfaced in February when Korean activists proposed a rotating exhibition of the Statue of Peace in front of the NS-Documentation Center in Cologne, Germany. The activists sought to display the statue from March 8 to June 1 under the theme "Art Against Oblivion," but Cologne Mayor Henriette Rekel rejected the proposal. The activists have since filed a lawsuit against the decision in a local court.
Remembering the past is crucial. Those who fail to learn from their tragic histories are doomed to repeat them. Raising awareness of wartime sexual violence is essential, as such heinous crimes continue to occur in today’s conflicts. However, the causes being fought for will struggle to generate action unless the public is properly informed of the relevant issues.
If technical challenges, such as the relocation of the Statue of Peace, are not resolved peacefully and smoothly, these causes risk being forgotten. Activists need to engage in dialogue with local authorities to resolve their differences and follow local rules, if necessary. The dispute surrounding the relocation of the Statue of Peace is particularly unfortunate, as it stands as one of three iconic spots in Berlin telling of Korea’s tragic colonial past and the contrasting present of the two Koreas.
The other two locations are at Dussmann, Germany’s largest bookstore, and the North Korean Embassy. At Dussmann’s English book section, works by South Korean authors, such as Nobel laureate Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian,” “The White Book” and “Human Acts,” are prominently displayed, alongside the U.S. National Book Award finalist “Pachinko” by Korean American author Min Jin Lee. The crowded German bookstore’s curation showcases the literary achievements of South Korean authors.
In stark contrast, the North Korean Embassy in Berlin delivers a very different story. A large, gray, five-story building — much bigger than I expected — the embassy has caused a stir by violating sanctions through an illicit hostel operation. The City Hostel, located next door, was shut down in 2020 on a German state authority's order. This dark chapter reflects North Korea’s ongoing dire need for hard currency.
Nobel laureate Han Kang's books, including "The Vegetarian," are displayed at the English book section of Germany's largest bookstore Dusmann in Berlin, Nov. 23. Korea Times photo by Kang Hyun-kyung