Battle looms over anti-Japan statue
The statue of forced laborers under Japan's imperial rule in Incheon / Yonhap
By Oh Young-jin
Civic groups in Busan have decided to erect a statue of a forced laborer next to the one for “comfort women” in front of Japan's consulate in Choryang-dong.
They plan to host a massive ceremony to mark the occasion on May 1, with over 5,000 people participating.
It will be the first time the two statues are together in the same spot, representing victims of imperial Japan's occupation of Korea.
There are three laborer statues ― one each in Yongsan, Seoul, Pupyeong in Incheon and on Jeju Island ― and scores of comfort women statues across the nation.
“Comfort women” refers to Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan during the Second World War.
A “comfort woman” statue. / Yonhap
The erection of the girl statue in December 2016 created a great deal of diplomatic friction with Japan. The city government tried to block it.
The progressive coalition of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) said Thursday: “The erection will go ahead as planned in order to press Japan to apologize and compensate for its misdeeds including forced labor.”
It said it has raised 65 million won out of 80 million won needed for the statue, calling on the government, local and central, to stop sabotaging its efforts.
City officials offered a different location, saying the statue will violate road-related regulations as well as upset Japan.