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News Wire / culture

Auckland Council Rejects Korean Peace Statue Proposal

RFI Monde Auckland 11d10d Impact 6

The Auckland City Council decided on Tuesday, April 28, not to install a memorial regarding the fate of sexual slaves in the Japanese army during World War II. A public vote resulted in 60% of participants voting against the statue. Among those who voted, one-third were of Japanese origin and one-third were of Korean origin. Local organizations also expressed opposition due to potential political controversy. The proposed statue represented a young woman seated near an empty chair, symbolizing survivors and the disappeared. It was intended as a tribute to the approximately 200,000 South Korean, Chinese, and Indonesian women who were sex slaves for the Imperial Japanese army between 1904 and 1945. Following a public consultation, 60% of voters opposed the statue, including residents of Japanese and Korean origin.

The Auckland City Council decided on Tuesday, April 28, not to install a memorial regarding the fate of sexual slaves in the Japanese army during World War II. A public vote resulted in 60% of participants voting against the statue. Among those who voted, one-third were of Japanese origin and one-third were of Korean origin. Local organizations also expressed opposition due to potential political controversy. The proposed statue represented a young woman seated near an empty chair, symbolizing survivors and the disappeared. It was intended as a tribute to the approximately 200,000 South Korean, Chinese, and Indonesian women who were sex slaves for the Imperial Japanese army between 1904 and 1945. Following a public consultation, 60% of voters opposed the statue, including residents of Japanese and Korean origin. Japan has issued a formal protest to New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding a planned statue in Auckland. The Japanese government views the statue as anti-Japanese sentiment from some Koreans. This issue could damage diplomatic relations between Japan and New Zealand, a key ally against China. The statue controversy is occurring amidst the war in the Middle East, which is for energy and critical raw material supplies. A Korean organization offered a peace statue intended for installation in a Korean cultural garden on municipal land in Auckland's suburbs.

Topics

Auckland memorial World War II Japan

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Sources · 7 independent

RFI Monde

“Ce mardi 28 avril, le Conseil municipal a décidé de ne pas installer ce qu'on a... concernant le sort des femmes et esclaves sexuelles de l'armée japonaise durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.”

RFI Monde

“le Conseil municipal a décidé de ne pas installer ce qu'on a...”

RFI Monde

“Ce mardi 28 avril, le Conseil municipal a décidé de ne pas installer ce qu'on a... [the memorial regarding East Asian women and sex slaves in the Japanese army during WWII]”

RFI Monde

“pourquoi est-ce que les autorités d'eau-clans donnent refusé d'ériger une statue en leur mémoire ? Alors pour comprendre, il faut savoir que le projet avait d'abord été validé par les autorités locales en juin 2025.”

RFI Afrique

“60% ont voté non à la statue, parmi les votants intièrents de résidents d'origine japonaise et intièrents d'origine coréenne et des organisations locales au 3 car réfractaires craignant la polémique politique.”

RFI Monde

“le Conseil a suspendu son approbation en septembre 2025 et lancé une consultation publique en janvier dernier. Résultat, 60% ont voté non à la statue”

RFI Afrique

“Ce mardi, 28 avril, le Conseil municipal a décidé de ne pas installer ce qu'on appelle une statue de la paix qui représente une jeune femme assise près d'une chaise vide, la survivante et la disparue, en hommage aux quelques 200 000 femmes asiatiques sud-coréennes, mais aussi chinoises ou indonésiennes, toutes esclaves sexuelles de l'armée impériel-japonaises dans les années 1904.”

RFI Monde

“Mais quand le conseil local de cette banlieue a pris conscience du symbole historique très sensible de cette statue, le Conseil a suspendu son approbation en septembre 2025 et lancé une consultation publique en janvier dernier.”

RFI Monde

“Cette affaire de la statue à Auckland c'est le anti-japonais porté par certains coréens et elle pourrait abîmer les relations diplomatiques entre le Japon et la Nouvelle-Zélande.”

RFI Afrique

“Cette statue de la paix offerte par une organisation sud-coréenne locale devait être installée dans un jardin culturel coréen sur un terrain municipal dans la banlieue d'Auckland.”

RFI Monde

“Résultat, 60% ont voté non à la statue. Parmi les votants, un tiers de résidents d'origine japonaise et un tiers de résidents d'origine coréenne.”

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