SIGN UP FOR OUR Tokyo, Jan. 6 — Japan decided Friday to recall its ambassador in Seoul over a controversial statue dedicated to comfort women that was installed in front of its consulate in South Korea.
The statue was erected last week in front of the Japanese diplomatic mission in the coastal city of Busan by a civic organization after the local government’s approval and provoked a protest from Tokyo.
“We have repeatedly and strongly requested the Korean side to take appropriate action to solve this problem,” government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said, adding that the Japanese government has decided to withdraw its consulate from this South Korean city, according to a report by Kyodo news agency.
The South Korean foreign ministry called Japan’s decision to recall its ambassador very regrettable.
“Even if there are difficult issues, the governments of both countries must continually develop South Korea-Japan relations based on a relationship of trust,” said the ministry in a statement.
The statue, second of its kind to have been erected in front of Japanese diplomatic missions abroad, depicts a small, barefoot girl, attired in traditional South Korean clothes, symbolizing the sexual abuses committed by Japanese imperial troops.
It is estimated that some 200,000 young women, primarily Korean, were forced into prostitution for Japanese soldiers since the 1930s during the last century particularly during World War II that ended in 1945.
Controversy over these sex slaves, euphemistically called ‘comfort women‘, has strained bilateral relations between South Korea and Japan.
An agreement was signed in 2015 between the two countries that requires Japan to officially apologize along with a compensation of one billion yen (approximately $8.6 million) to restore the honor and dignity of the victims and bring closure to the issue.
The installation of the statue followed protests by some South Korean organizations, who support the victims and who opposed the agreement as insufficient. EFE
