독일 베를린의 ‘평화의 소녀상’을 지켜주세요!

사이버 외교사절단 반크는 철거 위기에 놓인 독일 베를린의 ‘평화의 소녀상’을 지키기 위한 포스터를 제작해 배포합니다.

독일 베를린 미테구청은 2020년 10월 7일 일본군 위안부 강제동원 사실을 비석에 새겨 평화의 소녀상을 설치한 ‘코리아협의회’에 14일까지 철거하라는 공문을 보냈습니다.
“사전에 알리지 않은 비문으로 독일과 일본 관계에 긴장이 조성됐다”는 배경 설명이 있었지만 모테기 도시미쓰 외무상 등 일본 당국의 사활을 건 로비가 작용했다고 반크는 보고 있습니다.

이에 반크는 1970년 유대인 위령탑 앞에서 무릎을 꿇은 빌리 브란트 전 총리를 내세운 포스터를 제작해 배포하고 있습니다.

한국어와 영어로 만든 포스터에는 브란트 전 총리가 소녀상 옆에 앉아 있습니다. 만약 독일 정부가 ‘평화의 소녀상’을 철거한다면 브란트 전 총리로부터 50년 동안 이어오는 독일의 과거사 반성을 위반하는 것임을 강조하는 표현입니다.
또 포스터에는 “과거를 기억하지 못하는 이들은 과거를 반복한다”는 나치 독일의 유대인 수용소였던 아우슈비츠 돌벽의 새겨진 글귀도 인용했습니다.

반크는 독일 관청이 이번에 일본 정부의 로비로 소녀상 철거를 수용한다는 것은 그동안 독일이 국제사회에 보여주었던 침략역사에 대한 책임과 반성을 스스로 부정하는 것이라 생각합니다.

소녀상은 일본정부가 철거 명분으로 주장한 한국과 일본 간의 외교 문제가 아닙니다.
소녀상은 인류 보편적인 인권 문제를 상징하며, 전시 여성 성폭력 문제가 21세기에 다시는 지구상에 재현되지 않기를 바라는 세계 모든 사람들의 염원입니다.

이에 반크는 포스터를 통해 독일정부가 일본 제국주의의 전쟁범죄를 국제적으로 알리는 일에 동참하기를 바랍니다.

>>포스터 내려받기<<

Have you heard of the “Statue of Peace” in the city of Berlin?

The Statue of Peace was established in September 2020 at the intersection of Birkenstraße and Bremer straße in Berlin’s Borough of Mitte, led by the Korea Verband, a Korean-related civil organization. This is the third time that the Statue of Peace was installed in Germany, and it is the first time to be installed in a public place.

The Statue of Peace is not a diplomatic issue between Korea and Japan. It is of great significance because it criticizes the abuse of power as well as wartime sexual violence against women worldwide, and it contains values such as peace and gender equality. However, there is the only country in the world that strongly opposes this image of the Statue of Peace. It is Japan.

After the installment of the Statue of Peace in Berlin, the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu said “I feel extremely disappointing of the installment of the Statue of Peace on the streets of Berlin”.

He also said “We know that the unveiling ceremony was held in downtown Berlin, and we will make an effort to remove it.” The Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu called for the removal of the statue in a phone call with the German counterpart Heiko Maas.

Due to the Japanese government’s relentless pressure on the German government, the Borough of Mitte suddenly revoked the permit to install the Statue of Peace on October 7th and ordered its removal by October 14th.

We are enraged with the German government and Borough of Mitte’s decision to allow the removal of the Statue of Peace under the Japanese government’s pressure.

The statue is not a diplomatic issue between Korea and Japan, which the Japanese government has claimed as a cause for the removal.

The Statue of Peace symbolizes the universal human rights issue, and it is the aspiration and desire of all people around the world to hope that the issue of sexual violence against women in war will not be reproduced on this land again in the 21st century.

Above all, Germany had set an example for the international community with sincere reflection on Nazi war crimes.

The German President, Chancellor, Foreign Minister have set an example for the international community with sincere reflection on Nazi war crimes. Through this, even though Germany was a perpetrator of war, but through solving and settling the history of the Nazis, Germany is highly being respected and admired by many young people around the world, including Koreans.

However, the German government’s attempt to remove the Statue of Peace is a betrayal of the faith and trust of people all around the world. Above all, VANK believes that German government’s acceptance of the removal of the Statue of Peace through the Japanese government’s lobby is to deny the responsibility and reflection on the history of aggression that Germany has shown to the international community.

Therefore, we want to prevent the 21st century German government, which should take the lead in settling and clearing Japanese war crimes, from being used as an exoneration to justify aggression and hide war crimes by Japan.

Please raise your voice against the policy of accepting the removal of the Statue of Peace by the Borough of Mitte and the German government!

Please make complaint to the German government to join internationally publicizing the war crimes of Japanese imperialism, the same as those of Nazis!