“Lack of Study... No Intention to Criticize Only Japan”
“Will Create New Inscription Reflecting Both Korea and Japan’s Perspectives”
The mayor of Stintino, Italy, where the ‘Statue of Peace’ symbolizing the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery is being erected, announced that he is considering changing the inscription on the statue. The plan is to revise it to reflect the positions of both South Korea and Japan.
Kyoto News reported that on the 21st (local time), one day before the unveiling ceremony, Rita Vallebella, mayor of Stintino on the island of Sardinia, Italy, stated at the Stintino City Hall, “The inscription currently reflects the unilateral claims of the Korean civic group that led the installation of the statue,” and added, “We are reviewing the wording.”
Mayor Vallebella particularly said, “I lacked sufficient knowledge about the comfort women issue,” and “I did not intend to criticize only Japan.” She also mentioned that she received explanations from officials at the Japanese Embassy in Italy and said, “We will create a new inscription that includes the positions of both South Korea and Japan.”
However, regarding the specific timing of the wording change, she explained, “We will review it after hearing from the South Korean Embassy.” She added, “The statue embodies a universal condemnation of sexual war crimes,” and “As long as it is not politicized, there are no plans to remove it.”
The inscription on the statue, which will be installed in Stintino and unveiled on the 22nd, states that during World War II, the Japanese military forcibly took numerous girls and women from the Asia-Pacific region and made them military sex slaves, and that the statue symbolizes these victims. The inscription will be displayed on a separate information board written not only in Korean but also in Italian and English, and can be accessed in more languages via a QR code.
The Justice and Memory Solidarity (Jeonguiyeondae), which led the installation of the statue, proposed the erection of the statue in Stintino last December. Mayor Vallebella responded by saying, “We welcome the Statue of Peace being erected on our territory,” and called it “a firm commitment to denounce all forms of violence against humanity and women.”
According to Jeonguiyeondae, the Stintino statue is the second to be installed on public land in Europe after Berlin, Germany. It is the 14th overseas statue since the first one was erected in front of the public library in Glendale City Park, California, USA, in 2013.
Meanwhile, regarding the statue installed in Berlin, the Mitte District Office of Berlin has officially announced its intention to remove it after September 28. On the 18th, the district office stated, “A special permit was extended once, and thereafter it was allowed on the condition that the inscription be revised,” adding, “Negotiations failed, so we cannot extend the permit any further.”
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