Statue of Peace Girl
평화의 소녀상
This Peace Girl statue symbolizes a victim of Japanese military sexual slavery. The Peace Girl statue, made of synthetic resin, was brought from Seoul to San Francisco in 2018. Installed on August 14, 2017, on the eve of South Korea’s 72nd anniversary of liberation from Japanese occupation, it was placed on city bus seats on special occasions to raise awareness. Since then, it has traveled to several U.S. cities, including Chicago, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Martinez. The statue also traveled to other countries, including Japan and Germany.
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San Francisco, California
San Francisco City Hall August 14, 2019 
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Peace Girl Statue Design Explanation
Girl: The girl represents those who were forcefully and systematically sexually abused by the Japanese Imperial Army before and during WWII.
Empty Chair: People can sit in the place of the victims and think, “What if she were me? What if she were my family member, my sister?”
Shadow: Despite the statue being a girl, her shadow is that of an old woman. This represents the hardships that the victims had to suffer.
Hair: The cropped hair represents the severed family ties and friendships in the lives of “comfort” girls and women.
Heels: The heels don’t touch the ground, which represents the unstable lives of the victims. They were regarded as “sluts” or “prostitutes” and stigmatized by their society.
Face: This is a face that expresses anger, but also courage and will to resolve past injustices.
Bird: The bird is a symbol of peace, freedom, and liberation. It connects those victims who ‘returned to the sky’ and the ones who are still left on the ground.
Fists: The clenched fists show the victims’ determination to speak up and tell the truth about Japan’s war crimes.
Empty Chair: People can sit in the place of the victims and think, “What if she were me? What if she were my family member, my sister?”
Shadow: Despite the statue being a girl, her shadow is that of an old woman. This represents the hardships that the victims had to suffer.
Hair: The cropped hair represents the severed family ties and friendships in the lives of “comfort” girls and women.
Heels: The heels don’t touch the ground, which represents the unstable lives of the victims. They were regarded as “sluts” or “prostitutes” and stigmatized by their society.
Face: This is a face that expresses anger, but also courage and will to resolve past injustices.
Bird: The bird is a symbol of peace, freedom, and liberation. It connects those victims who ‘returned to the sky’ and the ones who are still left on the ground.
Fists: The clenched fists show the victims’ determination to speak up and tell the truth about Japan’s war crimes.