The “comfort women” working group of the Korea Verband erected a Statue of Peace in Berlin-Moabit at the corner of Birkenstraße and Bremer Straße to raise awareness of the issue of sexualized violence. On Monday, September 28, 2020 at 3pm, the statue was officially inaugurated with a ceremony and speeches by, among others, district councillor Sabine Weißler (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Dr. Insa Eschebach, the former director of the Ravensbrück Memorial, and Dr. Kien Nghi Ha.
The Statue of Peace commemorates the more than 200,000 girls and women from 14 countries who were sexually enslaved as “comfort women” by the Japanese military during the Asia-Pacific War (1931- 1945) in the entire Asia-Pacific region. The first bronze Statue of Peace created by the artists Kim Seo-Kyung and Kim Eun-Sung was erected in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea on December 14, 2011 for the 1,000th Wednesday demonstration by “The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan” in dedication to the “comfort women” . It is internationally regarded as a symbol against war crimes against girls and women.
The statue is intended to draw attention to the survivors’ demands for recognition, a formal apology, and reparations, which have not been met to this day. It also represents the continued sexualized violence perpetrated against women both in armed conflicts and in peacetime. “The statue of peace is there to admonish and remind, as well as an incentive to prosecute, punish, and ultimately eradicate crimes against girls and women,” said Nataly Jung-Hwa Han, Chairwoman of the Korea Verband.
There were already two Statue of Peace in Germany: The first statue was erected in 2017 in Wiesent near Regensburg in the Nepal Himalayan Park. The second is located in Frankfurt at Korean Protestant Church Parish Rhein-Main. This is the first time a Statue of Peace is being placed in a public square in Berlin.
It was brought to Berlin from South Korea as a gift from “The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan”. The installation was planned in cooperation with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft reUnion, an association of organizations from Moabit around the installation site at Unionsplatz, with the aim of making it a lively place of encounter in the neighborhood.
For the erection of the statue, an alliance for the Statue of Peace in Germany was founded, which 30 organizations have already joined. The alliance will oversee the preservation and care of the Statue of Peace, and will be doing educational work to raise awareness about the importance of the Statue of Peace more broadly and its importance specifically in German history.
Support the installation of the Statue of Peace with a donation!
Civil society initiatives from Germany and South Korea have brought the Statue of Peace to Berlin through their own efforts to ensure a memorial against sexualized violence and colonialism exists. The installation and maintenance of the statue will involve a great deal of financial effort. Support the preservation of the statue with a donation! A membership would also be of great help. Further information on how you can support us can be found here: https://www.koreaverband.de/spenden/.