The Korean Council Advocates for the Permanent Preservation of the Berlin Statue of Peace in Germany

             On July 6th, at 6 p.m. German time, Lee Na-Young, chair of board at The Korean Council, who is currently in Berlin to advocate the preservation of the Statue of Peace in Berlin, Germany, held the Wednesday Demonstration in front of the statue with The Korea Verband. Around fifty people, including Lela Sisauri (District Representative of Mitte - The Greens), Ingrid Bertermann (District Representative - The Left Party), German civic group ‘OMAS GEGEN RECHTS’ (Grannies Against the Right), Solidarity of Korean People in Europe, AG Trostfrauen (an action network for Japanese “comfort women”), Korean Women’s Group in Germany, and members of The Korea Verband, participated in the Demonstration, transcending race, nationality, gender, and age.

             On the morning of July 5th, Han Jung-Hwa, president of The Korea Verband, who ran the day’s event, reported on activities including delivering the petition for the Berlin Statue of Peace signed by 31,317 people and 559 organizations worldwide, as well as the handwritten letter of Japanese “comfort women” victim Lee Yong-Soo _halmoni_to Mitte District Councilor Stefanie Remlinger, who responded positively to the preservation of the Statue of Peace. Han also discussed the meeting she and Lee had with Beate Rudolf, head of the German Institute for Human Rights, on July 6th at 3pm. Words of solidarity from various participants followed.

             Lee Na-Young (Chair of board at The Korean Council) and Han Jung-Hwa (President of The Korea Verband) recited parts of the petition they submitted Mitte District Office in both Korean and German and shouted slogans for the cause. Participants of the Wednesday Demonstration joined in, showing their resolve to learn from the past and strengthen the value of peace, to wrap up the event.

             Right before the Wednesday Demonstration, on July 6th at 3pm, The Korean Council’s chair of board Lee Na-Young and The Korea Verband’s president Han Jung-Hwa visited the German Institute for Human Rights alongside Berlin city councilor Beneditk Lux. They asked for support amid the status quo where human rights are neglected and perpetrators are protected in the name of diplomacy. The Institute’s president Beate Rudolf said the Statue of Peace is connected to issues of sexual violence in conflict and women’s rights and represents not only Korea but also the history of immigrants. Noting that the violence perpetrated through war crimes against women and sexual slavery would not have been publicly raised without the struggles of victims, he said that citizens and civic groups can criticize the agreement between Korean and Japanese governments and are entitled to the freedom to preserve the Statue of Peace for human rights and freedom of expression. He also stated that since the Statue of Peace is not an attack on Japan, but rather a symbol of the universality of sexual violence in conflict, those residing in Germany should clarify that the Statue is a memorial for people who had been sacrificed in the past, and Japan must accept this. The meeting ended successfully with promises of various levels of support.

             In addition, Lee Na-young, chair of board at the Korean Council gave two lectures to researchers and students at universities in Berlin. On July 5th at 5pm, she gave a lecture titled “Special Talk - War and Women: The long and sad History” to graduate students and researchers in Korean studies and Gender studies upon invitation from Lee Eun-jung, head of the Institute of Korean Studies at Free University Berlin. In this talk, she discussed the status quo of the Wednesday Demonstration in Korea and the expansion of the global history denialism network. On July 7th at noon, Lee gave a lecture titled “Reconfiguring Activist-Survivors of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery, Remapping Encounters between Colonial Women” at Museum der Trostfraue, the Korea Verband. Students and faculty from Humbolt University, Steffi Richter, professor of Japanese studies at Leipzig University, and several other researchers joined the lecture.

             The Korean Council also took part in the unveiling ceremony of the Statue of Peace at the University of Kassel on July 8, 4:30pm German time. The installation began with a proposal by the University of Kassel Student Association to establish the statue in time for the international contemporary art festival , which is held once every five years and visited by more than five million people. The student association hoped to raise awareness of the issue and prevent victims from being sacrificed under diplomatic interests. It is very meaningful that students had voluntarily planned the establishment, received permission from the university, and installed the statue in a public space within the university. The Korean Council, which has supported the installation, transportation, and exhibition of the Statue of Peace in Germany, has signed an agreement with Korea Verband and fundraising to support the costs of transporting the statue and relevant activities. We ask for your continued interest and support. Donation page (in Korean): https://bit.ly/2wu2cpB

(Translated by Arim Lee)