10th Anniversary of the World's First Comfort Women Memorial Statue... "Thanks to Fundraising for Installation"

10th Anniversary Event in Palisades Park, NJ Korean Community
Secured Legitimacy Through Official Local Government Procedures to Overcome Japanese Opposition
"Should Serve as Educational Material on Women's Rights and World Peace Rather Than Conflict"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The memorial monument for the victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery, built in Palisades Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, the first of its kind in the world, has marked its 10th anniversary. Palisades Park held a commemorative ceremony on the 22nd (local time) to reflect on the significance of the monument.

Chris Jung, the Korean-American mayor of Palisades Park, evaluated the monument by saying, "It embodies educational values concerning women's human rights, not a political conflict between Korea and Japan," and emphasized, "The issue of women's human rights must continue to the next generation." Mayor Jung also issued a statement on the 10th anniversary of the monument’s establishment, saying, "We must remember the pain, courage, and survival of the victims of sexual slavery."

The monument was promoted after the passage of the Comfort Women Resolution by the U.S. Congress in 2007. Following this, memorials and statues of young girls were installed worldwide. The Korean American Voters Council (KAVC), which led the installation of the monument, also erected one in front of the Bergen County courthouse three years later in 2013.

The additional monument includes signatures indicating that the county government led the passage of the installation ordinance and that county residents agreed. In front of the county courthouse, there are several memorials commemorating historical human rights violations such as those against Black slaves, the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, and the Irish Great Famine, in addition to the comfort women.

Even after the first monument was established, Japanese-American politicians, Japanese lawmakers, and diplomats visited the site and continuously attempted to dismantle it, but the monument has steadfastly maintained its place.

Dong-seok Kim, representative of the Korean American Grassroots Coalition (KAGC), who led the creation of the monument, explained that the reason the monument has endured for 10 years despite continuous opposition from the Japanese government and others is "because it was installed on public land through local government approval and self-funding." Given the recent controversy over the removal of a young girl statue installed in Berlin, Germany, the world’s first monument has received even more attention. He added, "If monuments or statues are erected without systematic preparation and legal procedures, they are likely to face counterattacks from the Japanese side."

Representative Kim introduced that the monument has been safely maintained with help from the Holocaust Survivors Foundation and Armenian community groups who also experienced genocide. He further emphasized, "Rather than perceiving the issue of monument or statue construction as a confrontation between Korea and Japan, we should focus on humanitarian and women's rights issues, use this as an opportunity to build solidarity with supporters in Japan, and expand it into a global movement."