Statue honoring wartime sex slavery victims accessible without barricade on Wednesdays
By Han Jun-guPosted : April 10, 2026, 14:26Updated : April 10, 2026, 14:34
A statue honoring victims of wartime sexual slavery stands in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on April 8, 2026. AJP Han Jun-gu
SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - A barricade that prevented people from approaching a statue honoring the victims of sexual enslavement during World War II in central Seoul was removed last Wednesday.
The statue of an unsmiling girl symbolizing former sex slaves forced to serve Japanese soldiers during the war stands in front of the Japanese Embassy, where victims and their supporters have held protests every Wednesday for decades.
It was the first time in about six years that the barricade installed for safety concerns was removed, as police decided to do so during the protesters' gathering hours.
Marking the 1,000th weekly protest, the statue was first erected on Dec. 14, 2011, with more statues set up in South Korea and overseas including the one in Glendale, California to spread awareness of Japan's wartime atrocities.
A woman lays flowers at a statue honoring victims of wartime sexual slavery in Seoul on April 8, 2026. AJP Han Jun-gu
A statue honoring victims of wartime sexual slavery stands in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on April 8, 2026. AJP Han Jun-gu