To mark the 80th anniversary of Liberation, Gyeonggi Province launched a campaign to deliver flowers to Peace Statues of Girls overseas, aiming to draw continued international attention to the issue of Japanese military "comfort women" and to promote remembrance and solidarity.
On May 19, Gyeonggi Province visited the Statue of a Girl installed in Cologne, Germany, and laid flowers in collaboration with civic groups. On May 21, flowers were also delivered to the Berlin Statue of a Girl. The overseas flower delivery campaign will continue on May 24, with flowers to be delivered to the Peace Statue of a Girl in Stintino, Italy.
The Berlin Statue of a Girl, which faced the threat of removal due to Japanese intervention, is expected to remain in place until September. The Stintino Statue of a Girl in Italy was established in June last year, becoming the second such statue in Europe after Germany, despite opposition from the Japanese government.
Gyeonggi Province plans to continue the campaign of laying flowers at statues of girls around the world, with the cooperation of civic groups and Korean associations, until July.
This project is part of the "2025 Memorial Project for Victims of Japanese Military Comfort Women" and follows last year's "Delivery of Flowers of Remembrance" campaign conducted by Gyeonggi Province.
Last year, ahead of the Japanese Military "Comfort Women" Victims Memorial Day (August 14), Gyeonggi Province organized a national participatory campaign called "Delivery of Flowers of Remembrance," in which flowers were delivered to 139 statues of girls across the country.
The "Delivery of Flowers of Remembrance" campaign, first planned by Gyeonggi Province, involved participants delivering flowers to 139 statues of girls nationwide over a two-week period starting from the second week of July.
Meanwhile, Lee Okseon, who passed away on May 11, had lived at the House of Sharing in Gyeonggi Province and for over 20 years played a leading role in raising awareness of the atrocities committed against Japanese military comfort women in countries such as Japan, Australia, and Germany. Gyeonggi Province plans to continue commemorative events in cooperation with the international community to ensure that the history of the victims of Japanese military comfort women is not forgotten.
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