The Statue of Peace in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on July 23.
South Korean civic group Anti-Japan Action ceased its nearly decade-long sit-in protest on July 19 in front of the Statue of Peace near the former Japanese Embassy in Seoul.
The protest began in early 2016 to oppose a bilateral agreement between Tokyo and Seoul on the comfort women issue.
Sometimes referred to as the "comfort women statue," the first monument was erected in 2011 in Seoul to commemorate what the South Korean side describes as young women who were forcibly taken and sexually enslaved by the Japanese military during its colonial rule.
The Japanese government has consistently denied the allegations.
Why Stop Now
On July 19, the Anti-Japan Action announced it was temporarily suspending its activities, citing increasing government pressure. "We are now entering a new phase of struggle. But suspending the vigil at the statue does not mark the end of our movement," the group said.
According to Yonhap News, Seoul Metropolitan Police had issued a fifth summons against Anti-Japan Action. "The crackdown is intensifying. We now intend to focus our efforts on confronting police repression," the group told the news agency.
Just last month, the police arrested and questioned Anti-Japan Action's representative on suspicion of violating South Korea's National Security Act.
Authorities suspect some of the organization's activities display pro-North Korean leanings and are probing possible links to the People's Democracy Party (PDP), a leftist South Korean political party.
North Korea Connections
On the same day, the PDP also ended its one-person demonstration in front of the United States Embassy in Seoul. The party had maintained the protest since 2016, calling for the withdrawal of US troops from the Korean Peninsula.
Police are likewise investigating the party, which comprises the majority of the Anti-Japan Action members, on suspicion of violating the National Security Act by forming a subversive entity.
In July, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency raided the party's headquarters in Seoul and seized a mobile phone belonging to Han Myung-hee, PDP's former leader. Han and several other party members are under investigation.
Article 7 of South Korea's National Security Act stipulates that praising, encouraging, or propagating the activities of an anti-state organization or an individual acting under its direction is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Reclaiming Position
Meanwhile, members of the National Action for the Abolition of the Comfort Women Act gathered at the site on Wednesday, calling for the statue's removal.
The group has obtained permits to hold rallies next to the Statue of Peace since February 2023, but was unable to proceed due to Anti-Japan Action's occupation.
"Until now, the police had forcibly divided the rally zones around the statue without our consent, citing potential clashes between our group and the Anti-Japan Action," the group said.
"We will now hold weekly rallies beside the statue, calling for its complete removal and continuing to expose the comfort women fraud."
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Author: Kenji Yoshida
