The local authorities in the German capital recently issued a decree calling on South Korean activists to remove a statue they placed in a Berlin square in order to defend the case known as victims of "sexual slavery" or "comfort women."

The activists are defending the victims of South Koreans who were subjected to sexual slavery at the hands of Japanese soldiers during World War II.

This issue constitutes a thorny file between Tokyo and Seoul, in light of South Korea's insistence that Japan take more steps to correct the mistake of the past, according to what the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported.

The statue was placed in a public square, but this move angered Japan, so its Foreign Minister Toshi Mitsuo Mutiji, along with the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Katsu Nobu, initiated contacts to remove the monument.

And the Mitte district in Berlin issued a decree urging the South Korean "Fairband" group to remove the statue.

The decision stated that the painting that was placed next to the statue in order to explain the "issue of sexual slavery" was not included in the project outline, which caused tension between Berlin and Tokyo.

The German officials added that they do not want to side with one side in an issue that knows polarity between two countries, especially since the plaque that was placed gives the impression that the German region is hostile to Japan.

The decision stressed the need not to use public places to promote political matters.

This statue is the third of its kind in Germany, but the other two statues were built on private lands, which makes the ruling for their removal not legally possible.

Source: Agencies

By:Nadeemy Haded