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Peace Girl - A STATUE OF PEACE     평화의 소녀상

4/11/2019

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Peace girl: a statue of peace
One of the greatest things about Donald Trump being the president is how the media put a microscope on his every move. He can spark controversy with everything, his actions in Asia had sparked a bit of media controversy. ​
(continued) A couple of months ago, he tried to put pressure in North Korea by rallying the Americans’ allies in Asia: South Korea and Japan, but little did he realize the scars between the two countries.

The painful history between the two countries started in the early 20th century. Japan saw its chance to claim a slice of the pie of Asia as China was defeated in the first Sino-Japanese War. At the time, Korea under the Choson Dynasty started reforming its policies to strengthen defense. Then as Japan defeated Russia during the Russo-Japanese War, Japan was set to establish its occupation of Korea for its empire’s expansion by 1910. The occupation was brutal from the start as Japanese abolished the teaching of the Korean culture, language, and history. Most of the historical documents were burned. Businesses and buildings were occupied by the Japanese military. Farmers were either forced off their land or to fulfill quotas set by the military.

The brutality does not end there. By the beginning of the 1930s, Korean women were tricked into becoming “comfort women” or sex slaves for the Japanese soldiers. As the 2nd Sino Japanese War began, women were “recruited” from Japanese-occupied territories and Japan with the promise of a job or purchased by their parents to be “servants”. Once obtained by the Imperial Japanese Army, these girls got sent to different camps than what they expected. Most of them were sent to “comfort stations” where they were raped day and night by different soldiers. At the end of the war, there was mass murder as Japan tried to cover up its war crimes. Although not clear on the exact number, historians estimated that there were about 100,000 to 200,000 women who were rounded up as comfort women.

At the end of the war, Japan surrendered and Korea recovered its sovereignty. Most women stayed in silence since the topic in Korea is such a taboo topic. Not to mention, the west meddled with Korea and the country was split into two. However, the redress movement in South Korea was started in 1991 when Kim Hak-Sun testified in public about her experiences. Ever since then, more former comfort women stepped up to talk about their experience and a redress movement was ignited.
Since 1992, a demonstration organized by the Korean Council had been held in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul at noon happens every week. By the 1000th rally on December 14, 2011, A Statue of Peace, “Pyeonghwabi” was established outside the embassy. This is the statue explained:
Comfort women statue explained: girl, hair, face, bird, fists, empty chair, shadow, heels.
In 2017, the Seoul Metropolitan Government installed 5 peace girls on buses and the buses featured audio excerpts of a South Korean film regarding the comfort women issue that played whenever the buses passed by the Japanese embassy in central Seoul. Many riders found it sobering to ride the bus with the comfort women statues. ​
Since 1992, a demonstration organized by the Korean Council had been held in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul at noon happens every week. By the 1000th rally on December 14, 2011, A Statue of Peace, “Pyeonghwabi” was established outside the embassy.
The comfort women issue had since sparked discussions in the United Nations. However, Japan had still not moved on and demanded the statues be removed. After the establishment of the comfort women statue in San Francisco, Osaka ended its sister city relationship with San Francisco.

One of the peace girls installed in the Seoul busses will be at our upcoming event: Boba Making + Trivia! Come meet her as well as enjoy our community building event!
Since 1992, a demonstration organized by the Korean Council had been held in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul at noon happens every week. By the 1000th rally on December 14, 2011, A Statue of Peace, “Pyeonghwabi” was established outside the embassy.
References
  1. Miller, Linda Karen. The Japanese Occupation of Korea 1910–1945 (from Korea Lessons for High School Social Studies Teachers, New York: The Korea Society, 1999, http://caforumonline.net/CAFHandlerPDF.ashx?ID=403
  2. Blakemore, Erin. “The Brutal History of Japan's 'Comfort Women'.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 20 Feb. 2018, www.history.com/news/comfort-women-japan-military-brothels-korea.
  3. Information Service. “KOREA.NET.” Statue of Peace Boards Seoul Bus : Korea.net : The Official Website of the Republic of Korea, www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Society/view?articleId=148534.
  4. “Voices of Survivors Must Be Heard, UN Chief Says after Meeting 'Comfort Women' Victim | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, news.un.org/en/story/2016/03/524192-voices-survivors-must-be-heard-un-chief-says-after-meeting-comfort-women-victim.

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Facts on comfort women
The remaining comfort stations

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  • Home
    • About >
      • FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions
    • Support Us >
      • Projects you can support! >
        • Distributing Books
        • Presenting at 112th Annual Meeting of Pacific Coast Branch
        • Summer Research Relocation Fund
    • Contact
  • Stories
    • Videos >
      • Black Hearts (2021)
    • Blog
    • Podcast: Forgotten History
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    • Summer 2018 Internship >
      • 2018 Summer Showcase + Fundraiser
    • Fall 2017 Internship
    • Summer 2017 Internship >
      • 2017 Summer Showcase & Fundraiser
  • Books
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  • Resource Page
    • Supplementary Research Guides >
      • Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Background of Biochemical Warfare Development
        • Imperial Japan's Chemical Warfare Development Program
        • Map of Unit 731
        • Personnel of Unit 731
        • Duties of Unit 731
        • Human Experimentation
        • [GRAPHIC] Germ Warfare Attacks
        • Cover Ups After the War
        • [OLD] Cover Ups After the War
      • Philippines' Resistance - Guide >
        • Philippines World War II Timeline
        • The Japanese Invasion & Conquest of the Philippines
        • Bataan Death March
        • Formation of Underground Philippines Resistance
        • Supplies of the Guerrilla Fighters
        • The Hukbalahap
        • Hunter's ROTC
        • Marking's Guerrillas
        • United States Army Forces in the Philippines of Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL)
        • The Aetas
        • Chinese and Filipino-Chinese Nationalist Guerrilla Units
        • The Female Faces of the Philippine Guerrillas
      • Rising Sun Flag - Guide >
        • History of the Rising Sun Flag
        • Atrocities Committed Under the Flag
        • Rising Sun Flag in Pop Culture
      • Pinay Guerrilleras - Guide >
        • Japanese Occupation of the Philippine Islands: Pinays Answering the Call to Arms
        • The Fierce Heneralas and Kumanders of the Hukbalahap Guerrillas
        • Amazons of the Pacific Theater
        • Filipina American Veterans: Recovering the Extraordinary Feats of the Ordinary Pinays
        • The Legacy of the Asian Women Soldier
      • Fall of Singapore - Guide >
        • Singapore World War II Timeline
        • History of World War II in the Pacific
        • History of Singapore
        • Japan's Conquest in Asia
        • Japan's Invasion of the Malay Peninsula
        • Sook Ching Massacre
        • Double Tenth Incident
        • Social Changes and Challenges in Singapore
        • Voices from Syonan
        • Return to British Rule
      • Three Years and Eight Months - Guide >
        • Hong Kong before WW2
        • Buildup to World War 2
        • The Battle of Hong Kong
        • Life during 3 Years and 8 Months
        • East River Column Guerrilla Fighters
        • Prisoners of War Camps
        • End of Japanese Occupation
        • War Crimes Trials
      • Siamese Sovereignty - Guide >
        • The Land of Smiles
        • The Thai-Japanese Relationship
        • Phibun’s Domestic and International Policies
        • The Free Thai Resistance Movement
        • Post WW2 Aftermath of Thailand
      • The Khabarovsk War Crimes Trial - Guide >
        • Defendants of Khabarovsk War Crime
        • The Japanese Empire and USSR in WW2
        • The Employment of the Bacteriological Weapon in the War
        • Planning of Japan invasion to USSR
      • Unit 731 Cover-up : The Operation Paperclip of the East - Guide >
        • Establishing Manchukuo
        • The Development of Unit 731
        • Plan Kantokuen and Bacteriological Warfare
        • The Downfall of the Japanese WW2 Era
        • Three Stages of Interrogations
        • Lasting Impacts
      • Marutas of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • How did Ishii Shiro start unit 731?
        • A Beta Testing Site
        • Establishing Pingfan
        • Experiences at the Human Experimentation Complex
        • Vivisection at the Unit 731
        • Anta Testing Grounds
        • Overall Advance from the Laboratory Creations
        • The End of the War
      • Prince Konoe Memoir - Guide >
        • Who is Prince Konoe?
        • Preparation to Tripartite Pact
        • Emperor Hirohito and Prince Konoe
        • The End of Prince Konoe
      • Competing Empires in Burma - Guide >
        • What was the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • When did the China-Burma-India Theater Happen?
        • Who Fought in the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • The Second Sino Japanese War
        • Japan in the South
        • Operation U-Go
      • Battle of Shanghai - Guide >
        • The Battle of Shanghai. Background
        • Shanghai Before War
        • The First Battle of Shanghai 1932
        • Battle of Shanghai 1937
        • Aftermath of Battle for Shanghai
      • Ishi Shiro - Guide >
        • History of Biological Weapons and The Young Ishii Shiro
        • Establishment in Manchuria
        • Pingfang District - Harbin
        • Failures and Corruption
        • Post War
      • Taiwan The Israel of the East - Guide >
        • Background of Formosa
        • Industrialization of Japan
        • China During WWII
        • Taiwan under Kuomintang
        • New Taiwanese National Identity
      • Seeking Justice for Biological Warfare Victims of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Introduction of Wang Xuan
        • Colonel Memorandum
        • The Beginning of Biological Warfare
        • The Bacteriological Warfare on China
        • Victims in Zhejiang’s Testimonies
        • After the War
      • Rice and Revolution - Guide >
        • The French Colonial Period
        • Anti-Colonial Resistance
        • The Rise of the Communist Movement
        • Imperial Japan’s Entry into Indochina
        • The Portents of Famine
        • The Famine (1944-45)
        • Legacy of the 1944-45 Vietnam Famine
      • Clash of Empires - Guide >
        • Japan’s Imperialist Origins
        • Japan’s Competition against the West: Nanshin-ron and Hokushin-ron
        • Japanese Imperialism Through the Lens of French Indochina
        • The U.S.-Japan Relations and the Pearl Harbor Attack
      • Hunger for Power and Self-SufficiencyI - Guide >
        • The Influence of War Rations on Post-War Culinary Transformations
        • How World War II Complicated Food Scarcity and Invention
        • American Military Innovations
        • Government-Sponsored Food Inventions in Europe during World War II
        • Feeding the Army: The Adaptation of Japanese Military Cuisine and Its Impact on the Philippines
        • Mixed Dishes: Culinary Innovations Driven by Necessity and Food Scarcity
    • Lesson Plans >
      • Reparations
      • Ethics in Science
      • Writing the Narrative of a Pinay Fighter
      • Privilege Journal
      • Environmental Injustices
      • Female Guerrillas
      • Hunter's ROTC
      • Scientific Advancements
      • Seeking Justice: A Humanities Lesson Plan
      • The Hukbalahap
      • Trading Immunity
      • Bataan Death March
      • Biochemical Warfare Development
Contribute