Berlin council seeks to preserve Comfort Women Memorial Statue

Members of a district council in Berlin are seeking a permanent settlement for the "Statue of Peace," often called the Comfort Women Memorial Statue, as it faces possible removal. The statue has been in place since September 2020 despite requests for its removal from Japan. Concerns are mounting because Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner has recently suggested displacing the piece.

On Monday, the Mitte-Berlin District Council noted that members of its left-leaning ruling party recently proposed a resolution to guarantee the permanent settlement of the memorial statue. In the resolution draft, the council members argued that the statue is a significant project for the district community and should not be abolished.

They also noted that no other memorial statues, not even an envisioned one commemorating the victims of sexual violence during World War II, could replace it. The ruling party decided to hold a memorial event supporting the statue's permanent retention on June 19, before voting on the resolution the next day.

The Mitte district administration office ordered the statue's removal immediately after its erection. However, the removal was suspended when Korea Verband, a civil society group in Germany, applied for an injunction. Since then, the district council has repeatedly adopted resolutions for the statue's retention.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com