Superintendent Jeong Geunsik Files Police Complaint Against Far-Right Group Over 'Statue of Peace Removal Rally'

Jeong Geunsik, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, has filed a police complaint against a far-right group that recently held a rally near a school in Seocho District demanding the removal of the 'Statue of Peace'.

Yonhap News Agency

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, on January 9, Superintendent Jeong reported Kim Byunghun, head of the 'National Action for the Abolition of the Comfort Women Act', and its members to the police on charges including violation of the Child Welfare Act, distribution of obscene material under the Information and Communications Network Act, and defamation of the deceased.

In a statement released before submitting the complaint, Superintendent Jeong criticized, "Rallies and posts insulting the victims of the comfort women system severely undermine the educational environment and cause significant emotional harm to underage students."

He further stressed, "As Superintendent, I will respond with zero tolerance to any acts that infringe upon the educational environment," adding, "I will take all necessary legal measures to ensure a swift and thorough investigation and appropriate punishment for all those involved."

The 'National Action for the Abolition of the Comfort Women Act' is a hardline right-wing group that claims the Japanese military's 'comfort women' victims are a fabrication. The group holds counter-protests against the Wednesday Demonstrations and travels across the country, staging rallies that insult the Statue of Peace and demand its removal.

Last month, the group sparked public outrage by holding an illegal rally without following the required notification procedures and displaying banners with phrases such as, "Are you providing career guidance for prostitution by erecting a comfort woman statue on school grounds?"

On January 6, President Lee Jaemyung shared a related article on X (formerly Twitter) and also criticized the incident, calling it "absurd defamation of the deceased."