Remembering the fallen
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Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Statue of Peace finds permanent home in Bonn
Despite ongoing diplomatic tension, German museum offers lasting home to statue symbolizing Japanese wartime abuse of women BONN, Germany — On the count of three, 'Frieden' — the German word for 'peace' — echoed through a crowd of 50 people gathered on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Bonn. As the Statue of Peace emerged from beneath a purple veil, paper butterflies fluttered in the sunlight behind the bronze figure, symbolizing remembrance and resistance. The unveiling marked the official installation of a statue commemorating the victims of Japan's wartime military sexual slavery, euphemistically referred to as 'comfort women.' Its journey to a permanent home has been long and fraught, with activists criticizing what they describe as persistent interference by the Japanese government to prevent its erection. After four years of displacement from Dresden to Cologne, the statue has now found a permanent home at the Bonn Women's Museum, the world's first museum dedicated to women's art and history, established in 1981. Marianne Pitzen, founder and director of the museum, offered to host the statue despite ongoing diplomatic tension, saying 'women's honor prevails over Japan's claims that it had not committed such wartime sexual violence.' 'It (placing the statue here) is a sign of solidarity. We have the power to end the wars. It is really important that we fight for freedom and against violence,' Pitzen told The Korea Herald after the ceremony, calling the statue living proof of resistance against war. Named Dongmai, the memorial was first displayed at a museum in Dresden in April 2021, then followed by a brief exhibition in Wolfsburg the next year. For much of the time, however, it remained in storage. In March, it was exhibited for three months in front of the Cologne NS Documentation Center before finally finding a permanent home in Bonn. In Europe, there are currently six Statues of Peace — five in Germany and one in Italy — with Germany becoming a key battleground in the fight to preserve the memory of wartime sexual slavery and seek justice for its victims. 'None of the statues have had it easy due to the Japanese government's continued interference. Statues were erected only to be taken down, put into storage and moved again,' said Yee Kyung-hee, president of the Masan-Changwon-Jinhae Civil Assembly for Japanese Military Sexual Slaves, an advocacy group supporting the victims. She traveled from Korea for the unveiling. 'Beyond Korea-Japan relations, this is an international issue — a matter of whether women's rights are upheld,' she said, pointing to ongoing wars around the world where women continue to fall victim to sexual violence. Indeed, the statue has faced numerous challenges both in Korea and Germany. In Korea, there have been multiple reports of vandalism and incidents where victims were publicly defamed. In Berlin, the statue, installed in 2020, has repeatedly come under threat of removal, amid alleged diplomatic pressure from the Japanese government on the Berlin city government and the district of Mitte. The Berlin statue is the only one installed on public land, with all others standing on private property. Just a day before the unveiling in Bonn, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly expressed 'strong regret' over the statue's permanent placement, stating it would continue demanding 'appropriate responses' from relevant parties. Han Jung-hwa, chair of Korea Verband, a Berlin-based civic group responsible for the statue in Berlin, expressed frustration that the issue continues to be politicized. 'Regardless of political stance, this is a matter of humanity,' Han said. 'We hope that the statue spreads a message of peace.' Following the passing of Lee Ok-sun, aged 97, in May, only six registered survivors remain in South Korea, most in their late 90s and in frail health. Saturday's event also featured performances by a Korean artist collective, The Fifth Voice, invited by the Masan-Changwon-Jinhae citizens' group. Artists Han Dae-soo, Jang Soon-hyang and Bae Dallae each performed solo pieces through ritual, dance and performance art to honor the victims and convey their enduring pain. 'It is very beautiful and moving. What I like most is the caring and soft way of honoring the survivors,' said Julia Sattler, 37, a Bonn resident watching the performances. 'I am happy that the statue has found a home here, a symbol of survivors of violence.' Among the attendees were Koreans living in Germany. Jung Jina, 39, said that the statue's presence in a country that has publicly acknowledged and apologized for its wartime atrocities makes it particularly meaningful. 'As Japan is still trying to block the installation of peace statues across Germany, I hope this statue helps raise awareness among Europeans. That would bring great comfort to the victims,' she said. At the end of the ceremony, participants waved strips of white fabric and danced along a long white cotton banner, which gradually evolved into a traditional Korean circle dance, ganggangsullae, performed in remembrance and honor of the victims. The Fifth Voice began their tour on Friday in Frankfurt, followed by performances in Bonn and Kassel. The tour will conclude with a final performance on Thursday in Berlin in front of the city's own Statue of Peace.
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Korea Herald
Remembering the fallen
A South Korean soldier pays tribute to the fallen in front of the list of war dead at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Wednesday, as the nation marks the 75th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald) koreadherald@
![[Kim Seong-kon] How to prevent the second Korean War](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F06%2F24%2Fnews-p.v1.20250624.0f1fb100268f406797f6b6b2e3d986e1_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Korea Herald
7 days ago
- Korea Herald
[Kim Seong-kon] How to prevent the second Korean War
The Korean War broke out 75 years ago on June 25, 1950. Those who fought in the war, if not already dead, would now be in their mid-90s, and those who were born at that time are now at least 75 years old. That means that today, no one under 75 in Korea experienced the atrocity of the Korean War. In that sense, the Korean War has become a 'forgotten war' not only internationally, but even in Korea, too. However, we must not forget the soldiers, both domestic and foreign, who fought for our freedom during the war. It was not an easy war because soldiers had to fight in mountainous terrain with conventional weapons. One thing that foreign soldiers especially recollected was the severity of the Korean winters. Many of them got frostbite or even died of hypothermia while fighting in the snow-covered, icy mountains at night. This is just one example of their noble sacrifice, without which today's South Korea could not have existed. The war was over in 1953. The postwar landscape of war-ridden Korea was barren and bleak. Refugee camps were ubiquitous, jobs were scarce, and mothers had to borrow rice from neighbors for their family's supper. People were destitute and impoverished: parents had to make their five or six children live in a small, rented room and crippled war veterans were reduced to begging for coins or food on the street because the government was not capable of compensating their sacrifices. Today, however, South Korea has become a fully developed, affluent country in a very short span of time. As a result, other countries want to learn the Miracle on the Han River and foreign young people want to get a job at Samsung, LG, or Hyundai. Furthermore, K-pop, K-dramas and Korean film have many ardent fans overseas, and Korean food, too, is popular at restaurants overseas. Looking back upon the Korean War 75 years later, we realize that we cannot afford another war on this soil. A second Korean War, if it broke out by any chance, would surely annihilate everything we have accomplished for the past 75 years. Even though we might win, it would take another 75 years for our country to restore and rebuild its present level of stability and prosperity. To make matters worse, no one would come this time to help us. Among other things, America, our long-term ally, has changed lately and is no longer 100 percent reliable when we are in trouble. Today's America is reluctant to interfere with international conflicts unless they are vital to its interests or national security. Unfortunately, South Korea does not seem to be that important to the US these days. Given that reality, we would have to defend our country on our own, and that would not be easy. The best option is obviously to prevent another war from breaking out in the Korean Peninsula. Begging for peace with flattering gestures is not a viable option. So how, then, can we do it? First, we must have an invincible army and weapons of cutting-edge technology. Of course, we will be relatively safe while the US troops are stationed in our country. However, when and if the US government decides to pull out its troops from Korea, we will be vulnerable to foreign invasion immediately Second, following experts' advice, we need to benchmark NATO and implement a similar organization in Asia and join it as a safety measure. Aggressive countries would not dare to attack a member of the Asian NATO. Therefore, the membership will surely protect us from foreign aggression, even when the US government would not want to interfere. Third, we must put an end to chronic ideological warfare inside South Korea immediately. It is not only nonsensical but also dangerous that we are divided Left and Right in the South, especially while there are aggressive left-wing politicians in the North seeking an opportunity to unify the Korean Peninsula under the flag of socialism. If we do not stop our internal scuffles, North Korea might misjudge the situation and attempt to invade. When I entered elementary school right after the Korean War had ended, I found some of my classmates had lost their fingers due to the sudden detonation of artillery shells that were scattered all around at that time, having failed to explode during the fighting. At school, we learned a song about the Korean War: 'Oh, how could we forget the day when our enemies invaded our country/ We had to fight back with our bare hands and red blood.' As the older generation that experienced the Korean War fades away, soon no one will remember the tragic war. However, we cannot forget the war that devastated the whole country and cost so many precious lives of soldiers and civilians. At all costs, we must not let another war break out on our soil.
