A short while ago, the Statue of Peace, which had been erected in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, was forcibly removed. In response, the Korea Verband (Korea Association) in Germany has initiated legal action. Within Korea, citizens who share this purpose, primarily led by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance (the Korean Council), are guarding the statue against hate groups demanding its removal. Why are these people striving to protect the statue? Their efforts stem from the firm belief that the statue represents the need to rectify the issue of wartime sexual violence and restore the human rights of the victims.

  On Wednesday, Nov. 12, at noon, the area around Pyeonghwa-ro in front of the Embassy of Japan in Korea was cold enough to make one’s ears and fingertips ache. However, the voices demanding a resolution to the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery issue contained a heat that dwarfed the cold weather. Participants in the demonstration raised their voices with firm resolve, hoping their chants would reach everyone.

  That day marked the 1,726th Regular Wednesday Demonstration for the resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. Across from the demonstration, with the statue between them, a disruptive counter-protest was also held by hate groups demanding the statue’s removal. The participants of the Wednesday Demonstration refused to engage with the counter-protesters’ hateful shouts. Instead, they continued their peaceful rally with upbeat songs and roar.

  During the weekly report at the Wednesday Demonstration, Lee Na-young (Prof. of Sociology at Chung-Ang University), Chairperson of the Korean Council, promulgated, “This year marks the 35th anniversary of the movement to resolve the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. It has been a long and arduous journey to establish the victims’ courageous testimonies as the truth of the world and to engrave the principles of historical justice and human rights upon the international community.”

  Chairperson Lee explained the meaning of the statue, stating that “When this movement first began, the statue became a symbol. It remembers the victims’ suffering, and, more importantly, it represents the valor they showed by pushing through that pain to testify to the world, which awakened other victims and fundamentally changed global human rights norms. It also embodies our pledge to remember and inherit the victims’ activism and courage. Thanks to the statues that have spread across the world, that message has spread even further. For us, the statue is a call to action; to remember the history of the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ victims and to lead the way in establishing truth and justice. For citizens in Germany and other countries, it sends a message to remember their own history—sexual violence and violations of women’s human rights committed in past wars, as well as the history of discrimination against minorities and the vulnerable. Furthermore, the statue conveys a final message to the people of the world that we must all stand in solidarity and take action to resolve these issues.”

  Chairperson Lee spoke about the counter-protest across the road, pointing out that “This demonstration is being held to undermine the legitimacy of the Korean Council and the Wednesday Demonstration, which have most widely publicized the comfort women issue in Korea and protected the human rights of the victims. They claim that the comfort women were not sexual slaves but prostitutes or liars, and they even insult our actions, calling them ‘prostitute education.’

  The problem with these hate demonstrations goes beyond simply attacking the Wednesday Demonstration; it lies in the fundamental denial of historical truth and human rights issues. They attack those who pursue women’s rights and gender equality in Korea and closely align themselves with far-right hate groups in the country, thereby eroding the values of Korean democracy and human rights.”

  The rally on that day was attended not only by activists from the Korean Council but also by citizens of various ages and foreign nationals.

  Speaking on behalf of the allies, Jang Eun-a (26), a representative of the Peace Butterfly Network, said that “Even though the hate demonstrations by far-right groups continue to interfere and mock us at close range, your presence here in solidarity shows that the last conscience of our society is still alive. I participated in the Wednesday Demonstration in 2022, and witnessing the disruptive acts of far-right groups then, I was deeply shocked by an aspect of our society I had not been aware of. In that moment, I felt a sense of responsibility to ensure that our younger generation also stood in solidarity. We, the younger generation, will fulfill our duty as the next generation, connecting memories to memories and moving forward. We will follow the footsteps of the grandmothers to continue revealing the truth and establishing justice, so I want to tell them not to worry and that they can now rest in peace.”

  Chairperson Lee told a CBT reporter, “Holding a demonstration every Wednesday requires a tremendous amount of energy and time. Nevertheless, we have continued and will continue the rally without pause to correct history. Although far-right hate groups constantly seek to undermine the legitimacy of the Wednesday Demonstration, we can carry on without exhaustion because of the organizations and citizens who stand with us in solidarity and support, both in Korea and abroad. We feel a great sense of reward as this Wednesday Demonstration has become an international platform for solidarity and education that calls out for women’s rights, human rights, and peace. We ask for the continued attention and solidarity of the public.”

  The Japanese military sexual slavery issue has been raised a long time ago, but the Japanese government still denies this historical fact, and even domestic far-right hate groups supporting the Japanese government’s position have emerged to attack the victims. What they desire is for this issue to be forgotten from people’s memories.

  However, truth holds power. Even if they try to hide the truth with lies and propaganda, the truth will not lose its strength as long as there are people committed to remembering history and setting the record straight.