On May 16th, the Berlin government announced in a press release that Mayor Kai Wegner, during his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kawakami, made comments strongly suggesting the possibility of removing the Statue of Peace, stating that "there should no longer be one-sided expressions" and that a "solution" had been proposed for the controversial issue surrounding the statue.“
However, on July 19th, Mayor of Berlin’s Mitte District, notified Jung-Hwa Han, Chair of the Korea Verband, that if the Statue of Peace is not removed by September 28th, the Korea Verband would be repeatedly fined until the Statue of Peace is relocated. This decision to remove the Statue of Peace overlooks Japan's crimes against humanity, comparable to the Holocaust, and undermines Germany's long-standing efforts to confront its war crimes.
In opposition to Japan's attempts to erase history, the Korean Council, Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a joint press conference on September 11th in front of the German Embassy to announce the joint statement of Korean and German workers, “Let’s Protect the Statue of Peace ‘Ari’!”
On May 16th, the Berlin government announced in a press release that Mayor Kai Wegner, during his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kawakami, made comments strongly suggesting the possibility of removing the Statue of Peace, stating that "there should no longer be one-sided expressions" and that a "solution" had been proposed for the controversial issue surrounding the statue.“
However, on July 19th, Mayor of Berlin’s Mitte District, notified Jung-Hwa Han, Chair of the Korea Verband, that if the Statue of Peace is not removed by September 28th, the Korea Verband would be repeatedly fined until the Statue of Peace is relocated. This decision to remove the Statue of Peace overlooks Japan's crimes against humanity, comparable to the Holocaust, and undermines Germany's long-standing efforts to confront its war crimes.
In opposition to Japan's attempts to erase history, the Korean Council, Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a joint press conference on September 11th in front of the German Embassy to announce the joint statement of Korean and German workers, “Let’s Protect the Statue of Peace ‘Ari’!”