Geoje City in southern South Korea announced today that it has refused to allow the installation of a statue of a laborer who was conscripted from the Korean Peninsula during the Japanese colonial period, as requested by a citizens’ group. The statue had been applied for by the “Geoje Statue of Workers Drafted by Japanese Imperialists in Korea Promotion Committee,” a group of civic groups and others. The committee has been collecting donations since May and has been planning to install the workers’ statue in a park near Jangseungpo Port in the city. During the Japanese colonial period, there was a training center for the forced mobilization of people from the Korean Peninsula in the area, and many workers were mobilized from Jangseungpo Port to Japan and the South Pacific, so the committee decided it was necessary to install a statue of a worker in this area. The original plan was to install the statue on August 15 to coincide with Gwangbokjeol (Liberation Day from Japanese colonial rule), but the city decided against installing it in the park because of opposition and because it would be unreasonable to install it without permission from the city. Some residents and groups have opposed the workers’ statue, claiming that it would stir up anti-Japanese sentiment and be used for “political agitation” in anticipation of the general election to be held next April. The committee decided to install the workers’ statues legally with the city’s permission. The location of the statue was changed to near the “Girls of Peace” statue, which symbolizes the victims of the comfort women of the former Japanese army, and an application for installation was submitted to the city. A Geoje City official stated, “The application was rejected (for installation) due to many objections from residents and the fact that the proposed installation site is located at the Culture and Arts Center, which does not match the purpose of the space in question. The committee stated, “The city government ignored the citizens’ wishes by denying permission for the installation of the workers’ statue because of opposition from some residents, who had donated approximately 37 million won (approximately 4.2 million yen) to the project. He also indicated that he would hold a press conference in the future to strongly criticize the city’s action.
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