Home > National > Social Affairs

Police investigate far-right group leader for comfort women statue protests

Published: 06 Jan. 2026, 11:23 Updated: 07 Jan. 2026, 14:08

A statue of a girl symbolizing the victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery, euphemistically referred to as comfort women, located in Jecheon, North Chungcheong, is seen with a sign that reads "remove," installed by a far-right civic organization. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Police have launched an investigation into the leader of a far-right civic group who held protests across the country calling for the removal of “comfort woman” statues, which symbolize victims of Japanese military sexual slavery.

The Yangsan Police Precinct in South Gyeongsang said Monday it had opened an investigation into four individuals, including Kim Byeong-heon, head of the group roughly translated as Citizens for Abolishing the Comfort Women Act, after receiving a complaint in October last year. The group staged protests by covering statues with masks or black cloths bearing the word “remove.”

They are under investigation for allegedly violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act, damaging property and defaming the victims. During questioning, Kim reportedly told police that he staged the protests because he believes “comfort women were sex workers,” according to investigators. Police are also identifying the other three suspects who appeared on Kim’s YouTube channel but have not yet been named.

The group carried out over 100 protests in 2024 alone, often in front of comfort woman statues or even outside the homes of survivors. The protests were styled as social media “challenges” and aimed at mocking or degrading the symbolic statues. In April 2024, the group protested in front of the statue near Heukseok Station in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, claiming, “The comfort woman issue is an international scam. The women are lying about being forcibly taken by the Japanese military.”

Last October, the group announced plans to protest near an elementary school in Yangsan, but police issued a restriction order. Later in November, attempts to stage protests in Seongdong and Seocho Districts in Seoul were blocked by police bans.

Whether such actions can legally be considered defamation of comfort women victims remains uncertain. Under current law, defamation must target specific individuals, and acts involving the statues alone may not constitute a criminal offense. The Act on Protection, Support and Commemorative Projects for Sexual Slavery Victims for the Japanese Imperial Army contains no provisions punishing defamation or historical distortion.

A statue of a girl symbolizing the victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery, euphemistically referred to as comfort women, is seen with fences around it in front of the grounds of the former Japanese embassy to Korea in central Seoul on Dec. 28, 2025. [NEWS1]

A statue of a girl symbolizing the victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery, euphemistically referred to as comfort women, is seen in front of the grounds of the former Japanese embassy to Korea in central Seoul on Dec. 28, 2025. [YONHAP]

A legislative amendment is currently pending in the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee. The bill, introduced by Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Mi-hwa on Dec. 30 last year, would criminalize acts that defame victims or damage symbolic objects such as the statues. However, similar proposals submitted during the previous National Assembly failed to pass committee review.

Kim was previously fined 100,000 won ($70) in 2024 for posting a paper sign on a statue in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, that read, “Remove this grotesque statue that distorts and fabricates the reality of comfort women.” At the time, the court found him guilty of violating the Punishment of Minor Offenses Act. Police said they are reviewing whether further charges, including unlawful assembly and property damage, may be applied.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE AH-MI [[email protected]]