On the 13th, citizens in Berlin, the capital of Germany, held a protest in front of the Mitte District Office to oppose the authorities' removal order of the 'Statue of Peace' installed on the street. (Photo by Yonhap News)
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] The removal of the 'Statue of Peace' erected on the streets of Berlin, the capital of Germany, has been temporarily postponed.
On the 13th (local time), Stefan von Dassel, mayor of the Mitte district in Germany, stated that the local civic group Korea Verband filed a provisional injunction to suspend the enforcement of the removal order for the statue, and announced that the removal would be postponed until the administrative court makes a ruling.
The Mitte district mayor said, "We will take time to thoroughly consider the positions of all parties involved in this complex dispute as well as our own stance," adding, "We want to establish a compromise that fairly addresses the interests of Korea Verband and the Japanese side."
He also said, "We welcome designing the monument in a way that allows all involved to coexist," and stated, "Mitte district condemns all forms of sexual violence against women that occur during armed conflicts, regardless of time, place, or reason."
Previously, Mitte district recognized that the Statue of Peace commemorating the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery is an international issue concerning the human rights of women affected by war, and approved its installation in July last year.
However, as opposition from the Japanese side intensified, on the 7th, the district sent an official letter to Korea Verband, the local Korean civic group that organized the statue's installation, ordering the statue to be removed by the 14th.
On that day, about 300 Berlin citizens held a rally for about 30 minutes in front of the Mitte district office, which issued the removal order, demanding its withdrawal. With the district leaving the decision on the statue's removal to the administrative court, the removal deadline set for the 14th became invalid.
Meanwhile, grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a women's human rights activist and a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery, is scheduled to hold a press conference on the 14th protesting the removal order of the Statue of Peace in Germany.
On that day, she plans to request the German government to protect the Statue of Peace together with Yang Ki-dae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Na-young, chairperson of the Justice and Memory Foundation, in front of the National Assembly main building. After the press conference, she intends to visit the German Embassy in Jung-gu, Seoul, to deliver a petition urging the withdrawal of the removal order for the Statue of Peace.
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