As the deadline approaches for the dismantling of the "Statue of Peace" in Berlin, which commemorates the victims of wartime sexual slavery, a Korean civic group based in Germany has taken legal action to avert its removal. On September 29, Korea Verband announced that it had filed an injunction with the Berlin Administrative Court, seeking to suspend the effectiveness of the Berlin Mitte District Office’s order to remove the statue by October 7.

In its petition, Korea Verband argued that artistic freedom, equal opportunity, and the autonomy of local self-governments must be harmonized in practice within specific cases. The group asserted that the two-year installation period imposed by the district office was an arbitrary limitation on the artwork.

The Berlin Mitte District Office had previously issued an official directive to Korea Verband, citing the expiration of the designated installation period for the statue, which was placed on public land. This marks the third injunction related to the statue’s removal: previous legal actions in September 2020, immediately after the statue’s installation, and in October of last year successfully blocked forced dismantling.

The court, in decisions on earlier injunction requests, noted, “The tangible impact of the statue is intrinsically linked to its visibility and accessibility in public spaces. Relocation to private property cannot be considered an equivalent substitute.” Korea Verband maintains that the statue must remain in its current public location, as it facilitates gatherings and educational programs on sexual violence.

The Mitte district authorities have warned that failure to remove the statue by October 7 could result in a fine of 3,000 euros (approximately 4.92 million Korean won). Korea Verband has also sent an objection letter to the district office regarding the removal order and plans to rally local residents with a signature campaign and a public demonstration calling for the statue to remain.

Since the first overseas “Statue of Peace” was erected in 2013 at the Glendale Public Library in California, a total of 35 such memorials have been installed worldwide.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

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