The statue honoring ‘Comfort Women’
On March 28, the Seoul National University Student Council held a press conference at Nadeulmok Park in Gwanak district to announce its plans for the construction of a memorial statue for the victims of sex slavery during the Second World War. Joining with the offices of Gwanak district, the SNU Student Council revealed its campaign to establish a special committee for the construction of the statue. Gwanak district representative KWON Mi-Seong was also present during the announcement and expressed full support to the effort as a member of the committee.
During the press conference, SNU Student Council President KIM Bo-mi and other council members revealed that the committee will raise funds for the new memorial and will aim to unveil the statue in Nadeulmok Park on August 15, in time for Korea’s National Liberation Day. The memorial will be modeled after the iconic Sonyeosang, a statue of a victim of WWII sex slavery, which has recently been in the center of a diplomatic dispute between Korea and Japan. SNU Student Council’s attempt to construct the statue is representative of a wider sentiment over the controversy regarding the diplomatic deal made between the two countries last December, when the dispute over Japan’s involvement in wartime sex slavery was officially settled.
Although the deal was originally hailed as a diplomatic victory by the Korean government, it has met with a lukewarm response by the Korean public. The deal has been subject to much controversy, with many questioning the sincerity behind the Japanese government’s apology as it also included an agreement to remove the Sonyeosang located in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. The United Nations has also expressed concerns on the agreement as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women stated that the “approach claimed as an ‘irreversible resolution to the issue’ did not represent the adoption of a victim-centered approach.” In regard to the details of the recent deal, Japan issued a statement of apology for wartime sex slavery and agreed on a payment of reparations to the victims.
SNU Student Council’s effort to construct a new statue reflects the general disapproval among the youth on the recent Korea-Japan agreement. Regarding the diplomatic deal, the SNU Student Council stated, “We oppose the movement to remove the Sonyeosang after the Korea-Japan agreement on Japan’s involvement in wartime sex slavery. We will construct a new statue in Gwanak district to honor the victims.”
Written by Yun Hwan Chae, SNU English Editor, yunhwanchae@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Professor Travis Smith, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, tlsmith@snu.ac.kr