"Japan Must Acknowledge Historical Wrongs"... Students at Kassel State University in Germany Permanently Install Statue of a Girl on Campus

Student Council Approves 'Installation of Statue of Girl'
Kassel University Student President: "Japan Must Acknowledge Historical Mistakes"

Participants at the unveiling ceremony in front of the Statue of Peace at the University of Kassel in Germany are taking commemorative photos. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] On the 8th (local time), a permanent unveiling ceremony was held in front of the main building of Kassel State University in central Germany to install the Statue of Peace. This statue was erected by the resolution of the student council of the university.

Next to the statue, a plaque was installed with the inscription: "Wartime sexual violence remains a current and ongoing issue. The statue commemorates the victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery in Asia and Europe during World War II and honors the courage of those who fought to prevent the repetition of war crimes."

Tobias Schnoer, president of the student union at the University of Kassel, said, "This is the first time a statue of the girl has been permanently installed on a German university campus because the statue symbolizes resistance," adding, "Not only in my hometown Korea but also in Germany, citizens have protected the statue against Japan's cunning attempts to remove it."

Schnoer said his interest in the statue began because of the Japanese government's attitude.

He stated, "I became aware of the statue two years ago when the Japanese government strongly attempted to remove the Berlin statue. It was fascinating that a piece of art could attract so much attention simply by existing."

Since then, he has devoted himself to studying the international civic movement for resolving the Japanese military sexual slavery issue, the statue, and colonialism.

He was deeply impressed by how the women victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery in the patriarchal Korean society broke their silence and resisted systematically, and how the statue, as a symbol, still demands accountability from the perpetrator in front of the Japanese Embassy in Korea. He decided to act, not just gain knowledge.

The statue was created by artist Kim in Korea and transported to Germany.

The university agreed to the students' request to use the site for the statue, and the student council passed a resolution for the permanent installation of the statue by the student union. This is the first case on a German university campus and the second case on public land after the Berlin Statue of Peace.

Students plan to hold academic events, exhibitions, and workshops annually related to the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery and sexual violence against women, and in the long term, they plan to officially launch and operate a sponsorship association called "Statue of the Girl on Campus" to manage the statue within the university.

The Kassel University student union expressed their desire to erect the statue on campus earlier this year to the Korea Council, which erected the Berlin statue.

They cited the reason that having seen the Berlin statue firmly protected despite Japan's removal attempts, they wanted to promote the statue worldwide as a symbol against wartime sexual violence against women, especially in connection with the Kassel documenta exhibition.

When asked about the background of starting this project, Schnoer mentioned "self-criticism of historical mistakes." He was well aware of the Japanese government's perspective on the comfort women issue.

Regarding Japan's stance of not admitting the mobilization of comfort women and officially denying it, he pointed out, "Japan is in pain, but it must find a way out of the far-right structure."

He added, "Germany's example can be a reference for acknowledging one's history critically while maintaining pride," advising that such an approach is necessary.

He emphasized, "Only with this attitude can historical mistakes be prevented from recurring. If one always critically questions the background and recognizes what happened around their country's history, historical mistakes will not be repeated, and growth will be possible."

Previously, moved by the students' intentions, sculptor couple Kim Unseong and Kim Seogyeong donated the Statue of Peace to them on a permanent loan basis. The cost of air-transporting the statue from Korea to Germany was raised through fundraising both inside and outside Germany.

Artist Kim Unseong said, "In the US, the Philippines, and Korean universities, the statue suffered from Japanese oppression and removal attempts even before installation, so it is incredibly moving that the students at the University of Kassel succeeded in permanently installing the statue."

Han Jeonghwa, representative of the Korea Council, said at the unveiling ceremony, "It feels like a dream that the students at Kassel University voluntarily completed all procedures to permanently install the statue on campus."

Meanwhile, the Kassel city is hosting documenta, a world-renowned large-scale contemporary art exhibition held every five years, until September 25. The exhibition attracts 5 million visitors annually.