The young girl sits on a wooden chair, her fists balled in her lap. She looks impassively forward, her expression unsmiling and determined. Her feet are bare, and on her shoulder sits a small bird. The girl represents those who were forcefully and systematically sexually abused by Japanese during WWII.
In those days, cutting hair was an absolute impossibility for Korean because hair was part of their body that their parents handed to them. And the statue's roughly cropped hair shows how these girls had their relationships with their family, hometown cut off against their will.
The bird is a symbol of peace, freedom and liberation. It connects those victims who 'returned to the sky' without Japan's official apology and restitution and the ones who are still left on the ground.
The clenched fists represent how the victims will no longer stay silent about Japan's war crimes and want to tell the truth. It means strong will for peaceful world.
Despite the statue being a girl, its shadow is that of an old woman. It represents the hardship the victims had to suffer all this time.
A white butterfly in the shadow's heart position represents reborn. We hope victims who already passed away without ease their deep-rooted grudge reborn at better world and fly at there.
The heels are unattached to the ground, this represents the unstable lives of the victims regarded as 'sluts' or 'prostitutes' and treated coldly by society.
The empty chair means vacancy of victims who already passed away. Also anyone can sit in the shoes of the victims and think 'what if it was me?' 'what if it was my family or my sister?'
At 1000th day of Wednesday assembly, December 14, 2011, the first Statue of peace is putted up to remember sadness of wartime and Japanese military saxual slavery problem and for peace.
After first Statue of peace, there are more Statue of peaces are putted up at Korea, Canada and USA. The number of Statue of peace is increasing.There are 44 statue of peace in Korea and 4 Statue of peace at outside of Korea.
(December 14, 2016).