A New Nest at the Han-Chung Peace Statue Fountain Square in Seongbuk-dong, Seongbuk-gu

Hansung University Entrance Station Creative Theater Support Center Relocation Inevitable Due to Construction... Relocated to Bunsu Maru Plaza with High Citizen Traffic... Girl Statue Creator Kim Unseong and Gyesong High School Students Who Promoted the Peace Girl Statue Worldwide Participate... After Relocation Ceremony, Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seungro and Gyesong High School Students Hold Picketing Against Harvard Professor Ramseyer

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The ‘Korea-China Peace Statue of a Girl,’ which was installed in the Dongso-mun-dong Street Park at the entrance of Seongbuk-dong, has found a new home at the Fountain Maru Plaza to meet more citizens.

The ‘Korea-China Peace Statue of a Girl’ is the first statue of a girl jointly installed by Korean and Chinese artists, featuring a Korean girl and a Chinese girl who together raise awareness about the damages of war and emphasize the importance of world peace and human rights.

However, due to the construction of the Creative Theater Support Center at Hansung University Entrance Station, relocation became inevitable. Accordingly, Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) decided to move it to Fountain Maru Plaza (Exit 2 of Line 4 Hansung University Entrance Station), a place with heavy foot traffic and frequent use by citizens.

The relocation of the ‘Korea-China Peace Statue of a Girl’ on the 25th of last month was attended by the Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, the Chairperson of Seongbuk-gu Council, city council members, and district council members.

Most notably, Kim Un-sung, the Korean girl statue artist of the ‘Korea-China Peace Statue of a Girl,’ and students from Gyesung High School, who have supported overseas cities erecting Peace Statues of Girls and spread messages for the restoration of honor for Japanese military sexual slavery victims, participated, adding significance to the event.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro of Seongbuk-gu and the Gyesung High School students carefully wiped the girls of the ‘Korea-China Peace Statue of a Girl’ with clean towels to welcome them. They then held a picketing protest condemning Harvard Professor Ramseyer, who recently published a controversial paper claiming “comfort women were prostitutes.”

Mayor Lee Seung-ro and the Gyesung High School students held placards with messages such as, “Restoring the honor and human rights of Japanese military sexual slavery victims is essential for a peaceful world! We demand the retraction of Harvard Professor Ramseyer’s paper that denies Japan’s invasion and perpetrator history!” and shouted their message.

The Fountain Maru Plaza along Seongbukcheon Stream is a connecting point between Seongbuk-gu and Jongno-gu, serving as a popular resting space for many residents and an open area where various cultural events are held with participation from over 40 embassies located in Seongbuk-gu.

A Seongbuk-gu official expressed hope, saying, “We expect that many residents visiting Fountain Maru Plaza will remember the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery victims through the Korea-China Peace Statue of a Girl and establish a correct historical awareness.”

Artist Kim Un-sung also stated, “It is necessary to remember history in everyday life.”

The ‘Korea-China Peace Statue of a Girl’ is the first statue of comfort women from Korea and China erected nationwide in October 2015. The Korean girl statue was created by artists Kim Un-sung and Kim Seo-kyung, who also made the Peace Statue of a Girl in front of the Japanese Embassy in Korea, while the Chinese girl statue was produced with participation from Professor Pan Yuqin of Tsinghua University’s Department of Fine Arts and others.

The empty chair beside the Korean and Chinese girls symbolizes the 200,000 Asian girls who were forcibly taken as Japanese military comfort women and brutally violated.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro of Seongbuk-gu said, “Seongbuk-gu is a region where many independence activists, including Manhae Han Yong-un, lived or were active. Efforts to teach correct history across generations and to participate in this cause continue without pause. By relocating the Korea-China Peace Statue of a Girl to Fountain Maru Plaza, a gateway of Seongbuk-gu frequently used by people of various generations and cultures from around the world, I believe the restoration of honor for Japanese military comfort women and the values of peace and human rights will spread more widely.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.