Berlin mayor suggests to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ”remove comfort women statues” ... Korean group in Germany says ”they are succumbing to pressure”

Korean civic groups in Germany have launched a backlash after the mayor of Berlin, Germany, suggested removing the Berlin Peace Statue (comfort women statue), saying "change is important."
In a press release on the 16th (local time), the city of Berlin said, "Mayor Kai Wegner met with Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in Tokyo and said, 'It is important for us to make a difference,' and presented a solution to the comfort women statue issue."
Mayor Wegner visited Japan to mark the 30th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Berlin and Tokyo. Mayor Wegner said, "I support a monument against violence against women, but I don't think it will be any more."
"We are in dialogue with all relevant parties, including the district administration and the federal government, and the Japanese ambassador to Germany will also be participating in the discussions," he said, according to a source.
The Japanese government has previously called for the removal of comfort women statues, saying that "comfort women statues around the world are the result of South Korea's unilateral position."
The Berlin comfort women statue was ordered to be removed by the Mitte district office, which has jurisdiction over the statue, in October 2020, shortly after it was installed.
The move was put on hold due to a provisional injunction filed by the Korea Council for Cultural Affairs. The Korea Council for Cultural Affairs interpreted Mayor Wegner's change of statement as "effectively an intention to remove it," and said, "The city of Berlin has
The Korea Council responded by saying, "Mayor Wegner has not spoken to us, the people who erected the comfort women statue, contrary to his previous statements."
Regarding the claim that the comfort women statue is a one-sided expression, he said, "The Statue of Peace is a universal expression against sexual violence in conflict areas.
He also suggested that Mayor Wegner visit the Wartime Sexual Violence Museum run by the Korea Council of Korea and see for himself the diverse perspectives and educational activities.
Regarding this issue, a South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said on the 19th, "It is not desirable for the South Korean and Japanese governments to get involved in activities being carried out by private second-formers."
"The establishment of statues of peace overseas is a memorial and educational tool for the universal human rights violation issue of 'wartime sexual violence,' and was promoted through the voluntary efforts of the relevant regions and civic groups," the statement said.
"We are closely monitoring related developments," he said.