Barricades Removed From Seoul's 'Statue of Peace' After Six Years of Protests and Counter-Protests
Police barriers surrounding the Statue of Peace in central Seoul were permanently lifted on May 6, 2026, six years after they were installed. Rally participants pushed away the fences amid cheers and chants as the site, long a flashpoint between activists and far-right groups, was reopened. The statue represents victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.
koreatimes.co.krBarricades surrounding the Statue of Peace in central Seoul were permanently lifted on May 6, 2026, six years after they were first installed. Cheers erupted as participants of a weekly rally remembering victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery pushed the police fences away from the statue near the former site of the Japanese Embassy.
Yonhap reported that the removal marked the end of restrictions that had turned the location into a repeated point of conflict.
The police barricades were placed in June 2020 at a civic group's request. The site had become a flashpoint in recent years as far-right groups denying the Japanese military's sexual enslavement of women during World War II held counter-rallies nearby.
A leader of the far-right rallies was arrested in March on charges of defaming the victims, an event that paved the way for discussions to remove the barricades.
Police temporarily lifted the barricades last month before the permanent removal on May 6, 2026. " A purple wreath symbolizing peace was laid on top of the Statue of Peace's head on May 6, 2026. With the removal, the statue will undergo repairs this week including being repainted to cover scratches.
Yonhap reported that participants of the rally also cleaned the statue the same day. Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in front-line brothels for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
The statue, known as the Statue of Peace, represents victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery and stands near the former site of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. The permanent lifting ends a six-year period during which the barriers had restricted access to the memorial.
The sequence began with the June 2020 installation prompted by security concerns, escalated through years of competing rallies, and shifted after the March arrest of the far-right leader.
Temporary removal last month allowed officials to test the site before Wednesday's final step.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
5 events- 2026-05-06
Barricades permanently lifted; rally participants push fences, cheer, chant, lay wreath, and issue statement
2 sourcesYonhap - 2026-04
Police temporarily lifted the barricades
1 sourceYonhap - 2026-03
Leader of far-right rallies arrested on charges of defaming victims
1 sourceYonhap - 2020-06
Police barricades placed at civic group's request
1 sourceYonhap - 1910-1945
Korea was a Japanese colony
1 sourceYonhap
Potential Impact
- 01
Ends six years of physical barriers at a site that had seen competing rallies
- 02
Statue undergoes repairs and repainting this week to address scratches
- 03
Allows continued weekly rallies without police fences at the Statue of Peace
Transparency Panel
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