Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Civic groups urge Berlin to keep 'Statue of Peace'
People read the epitaph of the Statue of Peace installed in the central Mitte district, Berlin, in this Sept. 27 photo. / Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
By Lee Hyo-jin
Civic groups are calling on the City of Berlin to retract its order to remove the statue of a girl symbolizing Korean victims of wartime sex slavery by Japan, installed in the central Mitte district, according to activists, Monday.
The Korea Verband, a Germany-based civic group, plans to file an injunction at the local administrative court against the district office's order.
The group installed the “Statue of Peace” on Sept. 25, upon the city's approval. But nine days later, the local government withdrew its decision and ordered the group to take it down by Oct. 14, threatening to remove the statue itself if the group does not follow the order.
The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Korean Council), announced that it has submitted several reports regarding Berlin's unilateral decision to the United Nations' special rapporteurs on freedom of speech, violence against women and cultural rights.
“We're putting all our effort into internationally publicizing the issue. Removing the statue is not only undermining ongoing work to remember the victims, but also violating the freedom of speech of many people including the Berlin citizens who supported the installation,” an official at the Korean Council told The Korea Times.
The council is encouraging citizens to file complaints to the Mitte district office via email. It is also providing translation from German to Korean and specific steps on how to submit signatures to a petition on the German website petitionen.com.
The petition opposing the removal posted on Oct. 8 by a Korean internet user surnamed Lee has gathered more than 2,671 signatures as of 2 p.m., Monday.
The issue has also drawn the attention of former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his wife Kim So-yeon. They sent a letter to District Mayor Stephan von Dassel urging to him keep the statue.
“I can't understand your recent decision, as it retrogresses the history and ignores the pain experienced by the so called 'comfort women' who had suffered from brutal violence of the Japanese military,” read the letter revealed through Kim's Facebook page.
Korean residents in Berlin and civic activists there are reportedly planning to gather on Tuesday near the statue to protest the removal order.
The city authorities explained the reasons behind the order was because the Korea Verband had not properly disclosed the inscription of the statue prior to its installation, leading to German-Japan diplomatic tensions.
“It gives impression that our city is taking sides in the complicated political relations between Korea and Japan, opposing the latter,” von Dassel said through a statement.
His decision is likely to have been affected by pressure from Japan, as its Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi had previously mentioned the statue to be “inadequate” during a video call with his German counterpart Heiko Maas on Oct. 1, according to Japanese media.