Police will remove a barricade surrounding the “Statue of Peace,” a symbol of victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, about six years after it was installed.
The barricade outside the former Japanese Embassy in Seoul’s Jongno district is set to come down to coincide with the weekly Wednesday rally on May 6, according to the Jongno Police Station and other officials on April 28.
The removal is seen as restoring the area so the public can again approach the statue freely.
The barricade was installed in June 2020 at the request of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance after concerns were raised that the statue could be damaged during rallies by opposing groups. The organization owns the statue, which is designated and managed as Jongno district’s first public sculpture.
The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance plans to hold an event at the May 6 rally to mark the removal. Sculptor Kim Seo-kyung, who participated in creating the statue, is expected to attend.
Police said they will continue order and safety measures after the barricade is removed, including deploying riot police at the site.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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