"Statue of Peace" can remain permanently in the Mitte district of Berlin after municipal authorities voted to let it stay. (Yonhap News)

By Lee Hana

"Statue of Peace," a monument to victims of sexual slavery by Japan before and during World War II, can remain in Berlin permanently after facing a removal order earlier this year.

The borough council of the German capital's Mitte district on Dec. 1 passed in a general meeting a resolution on a permanent home for the statue in a 24-5 vote.

Jointly prepared by the political parties the Greens and the Left, the resolution said the council will arrange plans for the statue to remain in Mitte.

The order for the statue's removal will be formally retracted and the installment deadline for its current location is to be extended six weeks from Aug. 14 to the end of September.

The German-based civic group Korea Verband (Association) installed the statue on Sept. 25 with permission from the district to display it for one year. This was the first time for the statue to be displayed in a public space in Germany.

When the district ordered the statue's removal on Oct. 7 per a request by the Japanese government, German and ethnic Korean residents of Berlin gathered near the statue and marched 30 minutes to the district office demanding a retraction of the order.

The latest resolution on the statue's permanent installation came after the district retracted its removal order.

Thilo Urchs, a district representative for the Left Party, said, "'Statue of Peace' is based on the historical fact that there were Korean victims of sexual slavery by Japan before and during World War II."

"Sexual violence in wartime or during a military dispute isn't a one-time issue but a structural problem that should be prevented fundamentally. This is what 'Statue of Peace' symbolizes."

hlee10@korea.kr