‘Comfort Women’ Art Removed from Seoul Park; Creator Convicted of Indecent Assault

By Kazuki Koike / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:59 JST, September 7, 2023

SEOUL — Two artworks that commemorate so-called comfort women have been removed from a Seoul park after the man who created them was convicted of indecent assault, the Seoul city government has announced.

The artworks were located in the Ground of Memory park in the city center. The Seoul government said Tuesday that keeping them there would have been inappropriate.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the creator of the works, a man in his 70s, was convicted last month of indecent assault for actions including embracing a female employee.

A citizens group and others opposed the artworks’ removal, but a city survey found that 65% of residents were in favor of the move. The city is considering installing a different work of art in the vacant space.