Police reinforced patrol to protect the statue of a girl that represents victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery during the World War II, following a series of vandalisms.The Busan Donbu Police Station said Sunday it increased the number of patrols and installed a fence surrounding the statue known as the Peace Statue.A vandalism took place on April 27 when a man in his 30s placed Japanese beer on the head of the statue and sushi on an empty chair next to it. The perpetrator even posted photos of his acts on an online community.A police officer patroling nearby stopped him on the spot and he was sent home.The same man on April 6 put a black trash bag on the statue and wrote “removal” on it. The man reportedly has consistently called for removal of the statue on right-wing online communities.
On April 3, another girl statue standing in front of the Busan Education Student Culture Center was also covered in a black trash bag that read “remove the eyesore statue.”The police said about 25 more officers will be on duty to ensure a similar situation doesn’t happen again. They also installed a fence near the statue to restrict public access.It has not been confirmed the same man committed the vandalism at the culture center.“We are investigating his intentions. We will look into the case to see if any property damage has occurred,” a police official said. “After reviewing the situation, we will maintain a standard level of security including removing the fence.”The statue was installed outside the Japanese consulate in Busan by a Korean civic group in December 2016.The small bronze figure depicts a girl sitting in a chair, staring straight ahead with a look of determination. She has a short hair and wears a hanbok — a traditional 슬롯게이밍 Korean dress. She’s barefoot and her fist is clenched.