FAQ

Won't this damage relations with Japan? 

Honest historical memory strengthens relationships, denial damages them. Cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sydney maintain these statues because they recognise art has always asked brave questions to invite the community to engage courageously, regardless of external or political pressure. Maturity means holding complexity, not avoiding it. 

Isn't this a Korea-Japan issue? 

No. Wartime sexual violence is a human rights issue that transcends borders. It is estimated that 200,000 women enslaved came from Korea, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Australia, and beyond. Many Japanese citizens, scholars, and organisations have long supported survivors and advocated for justice, even at significant personal cost. 

This isn't about nationalism. It's about whether we, as a global community, will allow sexual violence in conflict to be normalised through silence. Many cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Sydney, maintain these memorials alongside strong diplomatic relationships. Honest memory strengthens relationships. Denial damages them.

What does this have to do with me? 

If you live in Aotearoa, it has everything to do with you.

One in three women here experiences violence. Our daughters navigate a world where sexual violence in conflict zones is still routine. The silence that protected perpetrators in the 1940s is the same silence that protects them now - in our workplaces, our universities, our homes.

The Statue of Peace isn't asking you to solve Korea's historical grievances. It's inviting you to participate in preventing violence against women everywhere - by learning how systems of impunity work, by refusing to look away from uncomfortable truths, by teaching our kids that accountability matters more than convenience.

Sitting in that empty chair means choosing solidarity over silence. That's not a Korean thing, but a human thing.

What happens after the Statue is installed?

The statue is just the beginning.

SARAM Trust's mission extends far beyond installing one memorial. We're building infrastructure for long-term peace education, anti-violence campaigns, and participatory arts programmes that centre on underserved communities.

What's ahead:

• Intergenerational educational programmes on wartime sexual violence, historical accountability, and contemporary prevention strategies for schools and community groups (developed as capacity and funds allows)

• Arts-based healing and engagement projects created with survivors of violence, not for them - because ordinary people make art when systems fail them

• Community activations and cultural exchange connecting historical violence to present-day issues: gender equity, decolonisation, trauma-informed practice, and accountability

• Standing with underserved communities - ethnic minorities, rainbow communities, women and families affected by violence, refugees, and others navigating intersecting forms of marginalisation

• Research and documentation preserving oral histories and developing resources that centre voices usually left out of official narratives

We operate on Sociocracy 3.0 principles consent-based decision-making, distributed authority, continuous adaptation. We're volunteer-led and community-accountable. The work evolves as communities tell us what they need.

The statue will be a gathering place, an anchor point for all of this. Not a static monument to observe, but a living site for courageous kōrero, participatory art-making, and movements that refuse to let silence protect perpetrators.

Want to help shape what that looks like? Stay in touch with us by signing our Open Letter and get invovled!