Busan Peace Statue of Girl Victims Faces Trouble Again... This Time Mocked with Japanese Beer and Sushi

Sudden Behavior While Eating Lunchbox... Police on Scene Intervene
Possibility of Same Person Wearing Black Plastic on 6th

The Statue of Peace in front of the Japanese Consulate in Busan has suffered another ordeal. Recently, after being targeted with black plastic bag vandalism, this statue was again desecrated by a man in his 30s who placed Japanese beer and sushi on it.

On the 29th, Busan Dongbu Police Station reported that around 1 p.m. on the 27th, a man in his 30s, identified as Mr. A, placed a sushi lunchbox on an empty chair next to the Statue of Peace in front of the Japanese Consulate in Dong-gu, and Japanese beer on the statue's head. It was reported that Mr. A suddenly performed this act while sitting on the chair eating the lunchbox and drinking beer. The empty chair next to the statue symbolizes the vacant seats of the late comfort women victims and was created for anyone to sit on.

On the 6th, the Statue of Peace in front of the Japanese Consulate in Dong-gu, Busan, covered with a black bag
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The police officer on duty at the scene stopped Mr. A’s sudden behavior. Yonhap News reported that Mr. A is the same person who covered the Statue of Peace and the Forced Laborer Statue with black bags labeled "Demolition" on the 6th. Around 5:30 p.m. on the 6th, a man in his 30s covered the Statue of Peace and the Forced Laborer Statue in front of the Japanese Consulate in Dong-gu, Busan, with black plastic bags marked "Demolition." A mask with the word "Demolition" written in red letters was also attached to the bag.

Mr. A is presumed to be affiliated with the group called the National Action for the Abolition of the Comfort Women Law. This group has filed a protest rally notification in front of the Statue of Peace from the 3rd to the 30th of this month. On the 3rd, about ten members of the group held a press conference demanding the removal of the statue. The police are currently reviewing the legal possibility of punishing Mr. A’s actions.

The Statue of Peace wearing a fur hat and scarf / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The ordeals faced by the statue have continued for several years, but since there is no legal basis for punishment, similar acts keep recurring.

In 2020, a bicycle was locked to the statue with a steel lock, and a yellow cloth with "Park Chung-hee" written on it, prayer beads, and a red pouch were left hanging on a wooden stick. In 2017, a discarded flowerpot with papers taped to it near the statue, bearing phrases such as "How long will you hate Japan?" was placed, and blue paint was splashed on the statue’s face.

Regarding the recent black bag incident, the police are reviewing legal charges such as property damage or insult, but applying such charges is difficult. A legal expert explained, "Property damage requires impairing the utility of the statue, and insult or defamation must be committed against a person with honor or emotions, so it is difficult to apply these charges."

Meanwhile, Kim Un-sung, the artist who created the Statue of Peace, filed a complaint with Busan Dongbu Police Station on the 23rd against the man in his 30s who covered the statue with a black bag, citing copyright infringement. Kim said, "The Statue of Peace was created through citizens’ fundraising, so it belongs to the citizens of Busan, and as the creator, I hold the copyright to the work," calling the "plastic bag" vandalism "an unprecedented level of artistic infringement in a developed society." He added, "I was shocked to hear about the vandalism. Every artwork carries the artist’s moral rights, and damaging the statue is equivalent to disregarding the artist’s moral rights. In a democratic society like South Korea, we can have sufficient dialogue and debate, so I don’t understand why this was done."