Japan recalls South Korea envoy over 'comfort woman' statue
Japan recalls South Korea envoy over 'comfort woman' statue
The Innerview _ The sculptors behind the Girl of Peace statues _ Part 2
Independence Movement Day Special: Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, the sculptors behind the Girl of Peace statues
The Girl of Peace Statue, also known as the Peace Monument, was installed in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul, Republic of Korea on December 14, 2011 to bring the much-needed attention to the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery, a tragic and horrific part of history that should never be forgotten or ignored. The creators of the statue, Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, joins us on the INNERview this week.
Comfort women is a euphemistic term referring to the women who were forced or coerced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II from the 1930s until Japan's surrender in 1945. They were transported to comfort stations, where they were forced to serve Japanese soldiers to boost morale among the soldiers and raise efficiency in the war effort.
We went to Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung's studio in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, which is the birthplace of the Girl of Peace statues installed in front of the Embassy of Seoul and elsewhere throughout the country and where various works by the couple can be observed.
We followed Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung to the 1,918th Wednesday demonstration. We also met with students who have been voluntarily safeguarding the Girl of Peace Statue in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul following the agreement reached between the Republic of Korea and Japan on December 28, 2015.
Tune into the INNERview this week and meet Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, the creators of the Girl of Peace Statue that was made out of the ardent wish to restore the honor and dignity of the halmonis (lit. grandmothers or elderly women; referring to the comfort women).
Visit ‘Arirang Culture’ Official Pages
Homepage:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
S. Korea expresses regret over Japan's removal of 'comfort women' statue at int'l arts festival
문체부 일본 소녀상 전시 중단 매우 유감... 창작과 표현의 자유 보존돼야
South Korea expressed regret over the suspended display of a statue that represents the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery at its biggest international art festival.
Stressing that freedom of expression must be guaranteed,... Seoul's culture ministry called for normalization.
Kan Hyeong-woo has the full story.
The South Korean government expressed deep regret Monday over Japan's decision to remove from its biggest international art festival... a statue of a girl representing the victims of Japan's World War II-era sexual slavery.
The freedom of cultural and artistic creation and expression must be respected under all circumstances,... and we hope the removal of this work will be corrected quickly.
The spokesperson said the culture ministry plans to convey its position to the art festival's organizers.
The comfort women statue had been on display at the Aichi Triennale in central Japan since last Thursday... before being taken away on Saturday.
The festival organizers said the decision to suspend the display of the statue was based on terror threats by telephone and e-mail, but claimed it had nothing to do with earlier comments by Japanese officials... in which the mayor of Nagoya, Takashi Kawamura, publicly asked for the display to be taken down... while Japan's Chief Cabinet Secreatry, Yoshihide Suga, hinted at cutting the government's financial support for art festivals.
Asked on Monday if his comments led to the removal of the statue,... Suga said there was no pressure from the government.
Meanwhile... Japanese newspapers criticized the statue's removal.
The Asahi Shimbun said the officials' comments effectively violated freedom of expression and creation,... adding that terror threats are not acceptable.
The Tokyo Shimbun also reported on a statement from the Japan P.E.N. Club - a group of famous Japanese artists - calling for the statue's continued display.
Kan Hyeong-woo, Arirang News
Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura, held a press conference regarding the controversial decision.
Omura harshly criticized Nagoya Mayor Kawamura over his objection to the exhibit, saying such a move is very likely in violation of the Constitution.
#Japan #removal #ComfortWoman #artsfestival
Arirang News Facebook:
Statue of 'comfort woman' appears on Seoul bus
In South Korea, former victims of Japan's sexual enslavement of women during World War Two have long demanded the Japanese government formally acknowledge their suffering. To spread awareness, one bus company in Seoul has come up with a new way to help fight for so-called comfort women. A statue symbolizing the hundreds of thousands of women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan's military has been spotted taking public transportation in the South Korean capital.
Subscribe to us on YouTube:
Download our APP on Apple Store (iOS):
Download our APP on Google Play (Android):
Follow us on:
Facebook:
Instagram:
Twitter:
Pinterest:
Tumblr:
Weibo:
US recognises 'comfort women' memorial
The issue of 'comfort women', women abducted from Korea and enslaved by Imperial Japan, has long complicated Japan-South Korea relations, and now a decision by the US city San Francisco to accept a memorial to the women has prompted accusations of 'Japan-bashing' from the island nation.
A decision by San Francisco to recognise a memorial to women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military in World War II has strained ties with its sister city, Osaka.
The statue is part of a long-running effort by activists to shed light on a very dark chapter in the history of the conflict.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for South Korea to remove similar statues, while South Korean President Moon Jae-in has cast doubt on a 2015 agreement intended to settle the traumatic legacy between the two countries.
Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds reports.
Subscribe to our channel
Follow us on Twitter
Find us on Facebook
Check our website:
Japan Recalls Ambassador In South Korea Over Comfort Women Statue | TIME
Japan said on Friday it was recalling its ambassador to South Korea over a statue commemorating Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War Two and that the statue violated an agreement to resolve the issue.
Subscribe to TIME ►►
Get closer to the world of entertainment and celebrity news as TIME gives you access and insight on the people who make what you watch, read and share.
Money helps you learn how to spend and invest your money. Find advice and guidance you can count on from how to negotiate, how to save and everything in between.
Find out more about the latest developments in science and technology as TIME’s access brings you to the ideas and people changing our world.
Let TIME show you everything you need to know about drones, autonomous cars, smart devices and the latest inventions which are shaping industries and our way of living
Stay up to date on breaking news from around the world through TIME’s trusted reporting, insight and access
CONNECT WITH TIME
Web:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Google+:
Instagram:
Magazine:
Newsletter: time.com/newsletter
ABOUT TIME
TIME brings unparalleled insight, access and authority to the news. A 24/7 news publication with nearly a century of experience, TIME’s coverage shapes how we understand our world. Subscribe for daily news, interviews, science, technology, politics, health, entertainment, and business updates, as well as exclusive videos from TIME’s Person of the Year, TIME 100 and more created by TIME’s acclaimed writers, producers and editors.
Japan Recalls Ambassador In South Korea Over Comfort Women Statue | TIME
Japan orders removal of 'Comfort Woman' statue on display at arts festival
'평화의 소녀상' 전시 중단에 비판 기사 쏟아낸 일본 언론
Japan has removed a statue that represents the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery at its biggest international art festival.
Japanese media outlets and artists have slammed the move, calling it unacceptable and a violation of the freedom of expression.
Kim Da-mi has more.
Japanese officials have removed a statue representing the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.
The statue was on display for 4 days at a public art exhibition in Japan for the first time.
According to the Aichi Triennale International contemporary art festival, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga( ), and the governor of Aichi Prefecture, Hideaki Omura( ) told the festival organizers that the statue must be removed.
The festival added that its decision to remove the statue was also based on “terror threats” by telephone and email.
Japanese newspapers including the Asahi Shimbun and the Tokyo Shimbun strongly criticized the statue's removal, saying such threats are not acceptable or forgiveable.
A Japanese fan club made up of famous Japanese artists even requested that the statue remain on display.
The Korean artist who made the statue, Kim Un-seong , condemned the Japanese politicans for attacking freedom of expression.
In addition, two other Korean artists participating in the festival have asked the festival to no longer exhibit their own work, saying they don't want audiences to see their work in this kind of situation.
Last year, another comfort woman statue, about 10 centimeters high, was removed under pressure from Japan at Ravenbruck Memorial in Germany.
According to the Korean civic group known as Korea Verband, which gave the statue to the memorial in 2017, pressure to remove it came from the Japanese embassy.
Japan has ordered the removal of a comfort woman statue before, in 2012, when it called the placement of the statue a political act.
KIM Da-mi, Arirang News.
#Japan #ComfortWomanStatue #art
Arirang News Facebook:
The Innerview _ The sculptors behind the Girl of Peace statues _ Part 1
Independence Movement Day Special: Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, the sculptors behind the Girl of Peace statues
The Girl of Peace Statue, also known as the Peace Monument, was installed in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul, Republic of Korea on December 14, 2011 to bring the much-needed attention to the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery, a tragic and horrific part of history that should never be forgotten or ignored. The creators of the statue, Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, joins us on the INNERview this week.
Comfort women is a euphemistic term referring to the women who were forced or coerced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II from the 1930s until Japan's surrender in 1945. They were transported to comfort stations, where they were forced to serve Japanese soldiers to boost morale among the soldiers and raise efficiency in the war effort.
We went to Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung's studio in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, which is the birthplace of the Girl of Peace statues installed in front of the Embassy of Seoul and elsewhere throughout the country and where various works by the couple can be observed.
We followed Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung to the 1,918th Wednesday demonstration. We also met with students who have been voluntarily safeguarding the Girl of Peace Statue in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul following the agreement reached between the Republic of Korea and Japan on December 28, 2015.
Tune into the INNERview this week and meet Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, the creators of the Girl of Peace Statue that was made out of the ardent wish to restore the honor and dignity of the halmonis (lit. grandmothers or elderly women; referring to the comfort women).
Visit ‘Arirang Culture’ Official Pages
Homepage:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
S. Korea expresses regret over Japan's removal of 'comfort women' statue at int'l arts festival
문체부 일본 소녀상 전시 중단 매우 유감... 창작과 표현의 자유 보존돼야
South Korea has expressed regret over the suspended display of a statue that represents the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery at its biggest international art festival.
Stressing that the freedom of expression must be guaranteed,... the culture ministry called for normalization.
Kan Hyeong-woo reports.
The South Korean government expressed deep regret Monday over Japan's decision to remove from its biggest international art festival... a statue of a girl representing the victims of Japan's World War II-era sexual slavery.
The freedom of cultural and artistic creation and expression must be respected under all circumstances,... and we hope the removal of this work will be corrected quickly.
The spokesperson said the culture ministry plans to convey its position to the art festival's organizers.
The comfort women statue had been on display at the Aichi Triennale in central Japan since last Thursday... before being taken away on Saturday.
The festival organizers said the decision to suspend the display of the statue was based on terror threats by telephone and e-mail, but claimed it had nothing to do with earlier comments by Japanese officials... in which the mayor of Nagoya, Takashi Kawamura, publicly asked for the display to be taken down... while Japan's Chief Cabinet Secreatry, Yoshihide Suga, hinted at cutting the government's financial support for art festivals.
Asked on Monday if his comments led to the removal of the statue,... Suga said there was no pressure from the government.
Meanwhile... Japanese newspapers criticized the statue's removal.
The Asahi Shimbun said the officials' comments effectively violated freedom of expression and creation,... adding that terror threats are not acceptable.
The Tokyo Shimbun also reported on a statement from the Japan P.E.N. Club - a group of famous Japanese artists - calling for the statue's continued display.
Kan Hyeong-woo, Arirang News
#Japan #removal #ComfortWoman #artsfestival
Arirang News Facebook:
Statue of comfort woman unveiled near Washington D.C., after 3 years of struggle...
'워싱턴 소녀상' 3년 만에 한인타운에 보금자리
Statue of comfort woman unveiled near Washington D.C., after 3 years of struggle, opposition from Japan
Moving forward does not mean forgetting the pain and the atrocities of the past.
A statue has been installed near Washington D.C. to remember the thousands of women who were forced to into sexual slavery under the Japanese military before and during the Second World War.
Oh Soo-young reports.
A statue representing the Korean victims of sexual slavery under the Japanese Imperial Army has finally been unveiled near Washington D.C.
Gil Won-ok, a 93 year-old surviving victim,... was forced into serving sex at a Japanese military brothel 80 years ago.
She placed a wreath of flowers on the statue.
The pain of my past has been shared, bearing this girl the Statue of Peace which sits at this place.
The launch comes after three years of delay due to strong opposition from Japan,... which has made undisguised attempts to remove statues representing comfort women from various locations around the world.
At a ceremony in Annendale, Virginia,... just a 15 minute drive from the U.S. capital,... various state officials and members of the Korean expat community celebrated the launch.
An exhibition has also been set up to raise awareness of the wartime atrocity that affected an estimated 200-thousand women in Asia.
It provides educational content on human rights and dignity, and the movements against war and injustice to future generations.
It is the 14th Statue of Peace installed in the United States.
Former comfort women and activists for their cause have, for decades, been calling on Japan to issue a formal, heartfelt apology for their wartime sexual enslavement of women.
But time is running out. Only 20 Korean victims remain alive,... as 220 of those registered with the government have already passed away.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.
#comfortwoman #Japan #Washington
Arirang News Facebook:
Japan recalls South Korean ambassador over 'comfort women' statue
Japan has temporarily recalled its ambassador to South Korea over this statue commemorating Korean women forced to work as sex slaves for the Japanese in World War II.
Tokyo is also suspending economic dialogue with Seoul over the issue.
The statue was put up outside the Japanese consulate in Busan in December, in protest at an agreement struck a year ago between the two countries which was aimed at settling the long-running controversy.
It is one of many such monuments but Tokyo claims the n…
READ MORE :
What are the top stories today? Click to watch:
euronews: the most watched news channel in Europe
Subscribe!
euronews is available in 13 languages:
In English:
Website:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Google+:
VKontakte:
Tokyo citizens raise awareness of Japan's military 'comfort women' sex slave issue
일본 시민들이 위안부 문제를 알린다
Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of women has long been a contentious issue between Seoul and Tokyo.
Fuelling anger on the Korean side is the Japanese government's attitude,... that there's nothing more to discuss.
So... we thought we'd hear from people in Japan who beg to differ with their government's stance.
Oh Soo-young files this report from Tokyo.
Marking the decades-long cries for recognition, reparation and healing,... the Statue of Peace outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul represents the women and girls forced into sexual slavery by Japan in the early 20th century.
The statue has inspired similar models around the world,... but its meaning is lost on many Japanese.
I haven't learned much about it, but I've heard about it on TV.
I remember hearing about it briefly at high school. But they don't teach it these days. I think that's wrong.
It's not in the curriculum. I haven't been taught about it. I think we need to learn more about history to move past conflict.
It seems most of the Japanese public aren't aware of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of women. Here in Tokyo, there are a number of people working to change that.
Tucked away in a room at a small publishing house in Tokyo.. a young girl waits to see daylight.
Yuka Okamoto, a writer and publisher, was entrusted with a duplicate of the statue of peace,... by the sculptors of the original.
It's been two years, but we haven't found a place for her. We're worried the conservatives will clamp down on us.
Moved by a victim's testimony in 1991,... Okamoto joined local efforts to raise awareness of the sexual slavery issue in Japan.
Because the issue has been erased from most school textbooks-- young people don't know about it. And the Japanese media pumps out biased reports that stir up distrust and the misconception that the statue is anti-Japanese.
She digs for historical evidence and resources and publishes the findings through printed and online contents.
By building a better understanding among the Japanese public, she hopes some day the girl in her backroom can sit in the sun.
The offender has no right to tell the victims to remove the statue. If anything, Japan is more in need of it, so it never forgets the past.
Preserving memories before they are forgotten,...
A museum in Tokyo,... holds records from nine countries where women were forced into so-called 'comfort stations'.
Tokyo denies evidence that women were forced into sex slavery, claiming the issue was settled with the countries. So we collect official documents, journal entries and personal testaments for our database available for anyone to access.
Under pressure and even threats from right-wing groups,... the activists here believe that, as Japanese citizens, it's their duty to ensure that history does not repeat itself.
It's a human rights issue-- a case of gender-based violence-- which applies today in warzones all over the world. We must not forget the terrible acts of our ancestors to warn the world against it.
However, they are in a race against time to collect more evidence and testimonies,... as many victims and witnesses have already passed away,... and the traces of the events continue to be erased from Japan's history textbooks.
Yang Jing-ja, a Korean-Japanese translator,... sometimes wonders if she's fighting a losing battle.
For more than 20 years,... she's led a civic group that calls for Tokyo to fully acknowledge its past atrocities.
This is a military journal. It says, wherever the Japanese soldiers conquer, they rape the women again and again.
So they need to set up a sexual 'comfort' station as soon as possible.
That's what it says here.
Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages
Facebook(NEWS):
Homepage:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
'Comfort Women' Statue Unveiled on Seoul's Namsan Mountain
#wednesday rally #comfort women
August 14 marked the 1400th Wednesday rally, which started 27 years ago, demanding the Japanese government a formal apology and proper compensation for its wartime sexual enslavement. But Japan continues to deny its wartime atrocities. In commemoration of the comfort women victims, a new memorial statue was unveiled in central Seoul.
Related articles
Implementation process of South Korea-Japan Comfort Women agreement
한일 위안부 합의 이행 점검
News of Japan having transferred 10 billion yen to Seoul on this Wednesday... as part of a deal struck between Korea and Japan... for a more future-oriented relationship.
But, here in downtown Seoul... as they have for the 1,246th Wednesday for almost a quarter of a century, this group of people remain unstirred.
Rain or shine, victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery system,... and civic groups,... have been gathering in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to raise their voice... calling for a sincere apology.
But, a landmark agreement between Seoul and Tokyo was reached, in a bid to resolve the issue.
that's why Japan continuously demands the removal of the Pyeonghwabi, or Statue of Peace,... which represents and commemorates the so-called comfort women.
More than two decades after the first victim of the Japanese military's wartime sex slavery system came out with her painful story,... Seoul and Tokyo's top diplomats shook hands,... on December 28th, 2015,... after a dozen working level talks on resolving one of the most thorniest issues between the two countries.
The issue comfort women, was a matter which, with the involvement of the Japanese military authorities at that time, severely injured the honor and dignity of a large number of women.
Under the premise that the Japanese government 'fully' implements the bilateral agreement,... the Korean government confirms that the issue has been bilaterally settled finally and irreversibly.
Where does Japan stand at this point when it comes to fully implementing what was agreed back in December?
One of Japan's key promises in the deal was the sum of 10 billion yen, or roughly 9 million U.S. dollars intended to help heal the wounds of the victims.
As agreed,... Seoul established a foundation,... which was launched seven months after the deal,... while Tokyo gave the green light to the 10 billion yen payment,... transferring the amount to the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation on this Wednesday.
Roughly 80 percent of the money will be given in cash.
The surviving victims will receive around 90-thousand U.S. dollars each,... while 18-thousand will be distributed to the families of the deceased victims.
There's been some ambiguity on the nature of the money.
While the victims want concrete compensation,...meaning that Tokyo takes clear legal responsibility to its past wrongdoings,... Japanese officials claim the fund is being given on humanitarian grounds.
Japan's claim is correct, making the Korean government and the foundation's claims that this should be seen as monetary compensation illogical.
That's why some say the money is not much different from the Asian Women's Fund,... through which the Japanese government and the public provided donations to Korean and other Asian comfort women in the 1990s,... but this professor says otherwise.
This time the fund comes entirely from the Japanese government. I think of it,... and we must think of it as compensation,... it's what the Korean government had initially requested.
Apart from the debate on whether the money is 'compensation or not',...experts also say,... the ambiguity of the agreement leaves room for different interpretations by Japanese politicians and opinion leaders; some could take the transfer of the 10 billion yen as a channel for Japan to clear itself from past atrocities once and for all.
If you carefully read the actual letters of the agreement on December 28th, there's no question the transfer of the fund from the national budget of the Japanese government constitutes a very important part of the agreement to be fulfilled, but that's not the end of the story. The Japanese government should continue to do all the necessary measures to restore the honor and dignity of all surviving victims of the wartime sex slavery in Korea.
This,... especially so,... for the victims to acknowledge Japan's sincerity.
Lee Ok-seon,... one of the ten surviving victims at the 'House of Sharing' in Gwangju, south of Seoul,...hoping for more efforts on behalf of the Japanese government.
Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages
Facebook(NEWS):
Homepage:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
The Innerview _ The sculptors behind the Girl of Peace statues _ Part 3
Independence Movement Day Special: Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, the sculptors behind the Girl of Peace statues
The Girl of Peace Statue, also known as the Peace Monument, was installed in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul, Republic of Korea on December 14, 2011 to bring the much-needed attention to the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery, a tragic and horrific part of history that should never be forgotten or ignored. The creators of the statue, Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, joins us on the INNERview this week.
Comfort women is a euphemistic term referring to the women who were forced or coerced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II from the 1930s until Japan's surrender in 1945. They were transported to comfort stations, where they were forced to serve Japanese soldiers to boost morale among the soldiers and raise efficiency in the war effort.
We went to Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung's studio in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, which is the birthplace of the Girl of Peace statues installed in front of the Embassy of Seoul and elsewhere throughout the country and where various works by the couple can be observed.
We followed Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung to the 1,918th Wednesday demonstration. We also met with students who have been voluntarily safeguarding the Girl of Peace Statue in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul following the agreement reached between the Republic of Korea and Japan on December 28, 2015.
Tune into the INNERview this week and meet Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, the creators of the Girl of Peace Statue that was made out of the ardent wish to restore the honor and dignity of the halmonis (lit. grandmothers or elderly women; referring to the comfort women).
Visit ‘Arirang Culture’ Official Pages
Homepage:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
Second comfort women statue overseas unveiled in Michigan
The town of Southfield, Michigan, has unveiled the second statue outside of Korea honoring victims of Japan′s wartime system of sex slavery.
The statue was unveiled at a ceremony on Saturday.
It is a replica of the peace monument Korean civic leaders set up across the road from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.
Plans to install the statue were launched three years ago, but had been delayed due to a lack of funds and opposition from the Japanese community in Southfield.
Detroit′s Korean-American community said the monument was not established to target Japan, but to promote women′s rights and peace.
The first comfort women statue in the U.S. was installed in Glendale City, California, in July 2013.
S.Korea, Japan arguing over girl statue to honor 'comfort women' / YTN
South Korea and Japan appear to continue arguing over the removal of a girl's statue symbolizing former Korean comfort women.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry officials on Wednesday refuted Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda's remarks claiming that the statue's elimination was an implicit understanding as part of last December's landmark deal between the two nations.
Under the deal, Seoul and Tokyo agreed to take steps to settle the issue of Korean women forced into Japanese military brothels during World War Two.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said that the two-way deal neither implicates such an understanding nor could be interpreted arbitrarily, reaffirming the government's stance that the issue regarding the statue should not be affected by either government as it has been installed voluntarily by a private organization.
Meanwhile, San Francisco's Board of Education has passed a resolution supporting the state of California's new guidelines calling for teaching high school students about Japan's wartime sexual slavery.
The California Department of Education has been collecting public opinions on the 2014-2016 Draft History-Social Science Framework to be concluded in May.
The framework includes the comfort women issue in the world history curriculum for grade 10.
▶ 기사 원문 :
▶ 제보 안내 : 모바일앱, 8585@ytn.co.kr, #2424
▣ YTN 유튜브 채널 구독 :
[ 한국 뉴스 채널 와이티엔 / Korea News Channel YTN ]
Tokyo citizens raise awareness of Japan's military 'comfort women' sex slave issue
일본 시민들이 위안부 문제를 알린다
The recalled Japanese ambassador to Seoul will return, but the dispute over the decades-old wartime sexual slavery issue is unlikely to be completely resolved anytime soon.
Fuelling the anger on the Korean side is the Japanese government's attitude... that there's nothing more to discuss.
So... we thought we'd hear from people in Japan who beg to differ with their government's stance.
Oh Soo-young files this report from Tokyo.
Marking the decades-long cries for recognition, reparation and healing,... the Statue of Peace outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul represents the women and girls forced into sexual slavery by Japan in the early 20th century.
The statue has inspired similar models around the world,... but its meaning is lost on many Japanese.
I haven't learned much about it, but I've heard about it on TV.
I remember hearing about it briefly at high school. But they don't teach it these days. I think that's wrong.
It's not in the curriculum. I haven't been taught about it. I think we need to learn more about history to move past conflict.
It seems most of the Japanese public aren't aware of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of women. Here in Tokyo, there are a number of people working to change that.
Tucked away in a room at a small publishing house in Tokyo.. a young girl waits to see daylight.
Yuka Okamoto, a writer and publisher, was entrusted with a duplicate of the statue of peace,... by the sculptors of the original.
It's been two years, but we haven't found a place for her. We're worried the conservatives will clamp down on us.
Moved by a victim's testimony in 1991,... Okamoto joined local efforts to raise awareness of the sexual slavery issue in Japan.
Because the issue has been erased from most school textbooks-- young people don't know about it. And the Japanese media pumps out biased reports that stir up distrust and the misconception that the statue is anti-Japanese.
She digs for historical evidence and resources and publishes the findings through printed and online contents.
By building a better understanding among the Japanese public, she hopes some day the girl in her backroom can sit in the sun.
Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages
Facebook(NEWS):
Homepage:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
REMOVAL OF STATE OF PEACE STATUE / KBS뉴스(News)
[Anchor Lead]
We reported last week that the State of Peace statue symbolizing Japan's wartime atrocities was erected at an exhibition in Nagoya. But the display of this statue abruptly ended only after three days. It has also been found that Japan has allegedly pressured a German museum to remove a statue, symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery from display. German museums and local government bodies have actually taken the statues down, at the persistent demand from the Japanese Embassy in Germany. Here are the details.
[Pkg]
Gallery Gedok, a Berlin museum for female artists, displayed the Statue of Peace at an exhibit that began on August 3rd. It is the same statue of a girl submitted to the Aichi Triennale in Japan by artists Kim Eun-sung and Kim Seo-kyung. But the Japanese Embassy in Germany sent an official letter to the museum two days before the start of the exhibit. It claimed the issue of wartime sexual slavery by the Japanese military was ultimately and irreversibly resolved by the two countries and damage compensation was given in accordance with the Claims Settlement Agreement between Seoul and Tokyo in 1965. Another statue was set up at a gallery in Dortmund in June, but the Japanese Consulate General asked for it to be removed. In one case, the persistent pressure from the Japanese government led to the actual removal of the statue. In 2017, the Ravensbruck Memorial in Brandenburg, Germany displayed a 10-centimeter-tall version of the statue presented by the civic group Korea Verband, but Japan pressured the museum to remove it.
[Soundbite] HAN JUNG-HWA(CHAIR, KOREA VERBAND IN GERMANY) : The Japanese Embassy said that the statue should be removed because the comfort women issue has no direct association with the museum.
In 2017, pressured by Japan, German authorities took down a different edition of the Statue of Peace erected at a park in the city of Wiesent in southern Germany and scrapped a plan to install the sculpture in Freibu
Foreign Correspondents _ Korean-Japan wartime sexual slavery agreement and 'comfort woman' statue
Controversy over 'comfort woman' statue
On January 6, the Japanese government announced it would recall its ambassador to Korea in protest of a statue symbolizing Korean sex slave victims installed in front of its consulate in Busan. Tokyo argues the installation is in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and that Seoul has failed to uphold its end of the landmark agreement on sexual slavery concluded back in December 2015. Some Japanese media have called the monument illegal and offensive.
Wartime sexual slavery agreement and Japan's view of history
After being first erected in December 2011 in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, the 'comfort woman' statue has been installed in a number of other countries. It was to commemorate victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery and establish a proper understanding of history. However, Tokyo has demanded the statues in Korea be removed as part of the joint deal on sexual slavery reached over a year ago. As tensions escalate between the two countries, the issue has again raised questions about Japan’s view on its wartime history and how its approach towards its past differs from that of Germany. We sit down to discuss the various issues of debate sparked by the symbolic statue.
부산 일본 영사관 앞 평화의 소녀상 설치 논란
지난 6일, 일본 정부가 주한 일본대사를 소환했다. 소환령을 받은 일본대사는 9일, 본국으로 일시 귀국했다. 이번 소환은 지난달 28일에 있었던 부산의 일본영사관 앞 '평화의 소녀상' 설치에 대해 강한 불만을 드러낸 조치다. 일본 정부는 일본영사관 앞에 소녀상을 설치한 것이 '외교관계에 관한 비엔나 협약' 을 위반한 것이라고 반발하며, 2015년 12월에 한․일 양국이 선언한 '위안부 합의'를 이행할 것을 재차 요구했다. 일부 일본 언론사들 역시 이번 소녀상 설치에 대해 '불법 행위' '전례가 없는 행위' 라며 일본 정부를 거들어주고 있다. 소녀상 설치를 둘러싼 논란으로 한국과 일본 외교 관계는 급격히 냉각되고 있다.
한 ․ 일간 위안부 합의와 역사 인식 문제
2011년 12월 주한 일본대사관 앞에 세워진 이후, 한국은 물론 미국, 캐나다, 호주 등 해외에도 설치된 '평화의 소녀상'. 이 소녀상은 위안부 피해자를 기리고 올바른 역사의식을 확립하기 위해 세워졌다. 그러나 일본은 지속적으로 평화의 소녀상을 철거하기 위해 전 방위로 애쓰고 있다. 한국 정부에는 '위안부 합의로 일본에서 10억 엔을 출연했으니 한국도 성의를 보여야 한다'며 압력을 가하고 있다. 독일과 함께 제2차 세계대전의 전범국가인 일본. 그러나 과거 나치의 만행에 대해 사죄를 거듭하는 독일과 달리 일본은 잘못된 역사에 제대로 반성하는 모습을 보이지 않고 있다. 일본은 왜 소녀상 철거를 원하는 것일까? 그리고 이들의 역사 인식에는 어떤 문제가 있는 걸까? 이번 주 에서 소녀상을 둘러싼 논란을 다각도로 분석하고 토론해본다.
Visit ‘Arirang Issue’ Official Pages
Homepage:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram: