On January 31, 2013 Singapore said that it has rejected plans set by South Korean activists in regards to erecting a statue in the city state, which would commemorate women forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II.
The claims by the South Korean Council were denied by the culture ministry as well reiterating that there were no plans to put up such a statue. The ministry, in an emailed statement, said that the circulating news was not accurate. The statement further added, “There are no ongoing meetings or discussions between the Singapore government and the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery on this issue. Nor will we allow such a statue to be erected in Singapore.”
The activists in Seoul last week disclosed plans to put up the statues which represent ‘Comfort Women’, who were forced into Japanese military brothels during the war. The activists also said that they held talks with the authorities of Singapore and added that a delegation would be sent to the city state to finalize construction plans.
The statues have been planned in China, Indonesia and Malaysia. According to the historians, around 200,000 women from Korea, China and Philippines were forced to work in the Japanese military brothels.
