Jeonguiyeon Sues Conservative Group for Taking Front Seat in Front of the Statue of a Girl

Complaint filed at Seoul Jongno Police Station for violations of the Assembly and Demonstration Act, defamation, and insult charges

On the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, February 2, the Statue of Peace in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is wearing winter accessories such as a knit hat and scarf. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The conflict between the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeon) and conservative groups over the front position of the "Statue of Peace" is escalating into a legal battle.

On the 16th, Jeonguiyeon and the Korean Catholic Women’s Religious Superiors Association announced that they would file a complaint with the Jongno Police Station in Seoul against 12 individuals, including Kim Byung-heon, representative of the Citizens' Action for the Abolition of the Comfort Women Law, Lee Woo-yeon, research fellow at the Nakseongdae Institute of Economic Research, Kim Sang-jin, secretary general of the Liberty Solidarity, and Joo Ok-soon, representative of the Mom Unit, on charges of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act (Assembly Act), defamation, and insult. They plan to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. that day and submit the complaint. Seven civic groups, including the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities and the Peace Butterfly Network (Peace Butterfly), will also participate in the lawsuit.

The complaint reportedly includes allegations that conservative groups first report assemblies in front of the Statue of Peace and then install speakers to broadcast screams, thereby disrupting the Wednesday demonstrations. Since 2020, when allegations of embezzlement of donations by independent lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang surfaced, conservative groups have been occupying the area in front of the statue every Wednesday and holding rallies demanding its removal. Because of this, Jeonguiyeon has been conducting Wednesday demonstrations at a location away from the statue.

Additionally, the complaint is said to address the insulting language used by conservative groups. During demonstrations, these groups reportedly said things like “Anti-Japan sentiment is a mental illness” and directed abusive language at nuns belonging to the Women’s Religious Superiors Association who participated in the rallies. In fact, some members of conservative groups have denied facts related to comfort women and made insulting remarks such as calling comfort women “prostitutes.”

The legal battle intensified earlier this month. On the 4th, the Citizens' Action for the Abolition of the Comfort Women Law filed a complaint against about 20 members of Peace Butterfly for violating the Assembly Act. Peace Butterfly, a student group dedicated to resolving the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery, occupied the sidewalk in front of Yonhap News in Susong-dong, Jongno-gu, where conservative groups had first reported a rally on March 1st. They explained that the occupation was to ensure the stable holding of the Wednesday demonstration in memory of the Statue of Peace.