Berlin, April 16, 2025
Berlin Administrative Court Decides: The Statue of Peace May Stay Until at Least September 28, 2025
On April 14, 2025, the Berlin Administrative Court ruled that Korea Verband e.V. is entitled to an exemption permit allowing the Statue of Peace “Ari” to remain at its current location until at least September 28, 2025. The decision comes after Korea Verband legally challenged the rejection of its exemption application and the removal order issued by the Berlin-Mitte District Office.
Korea Verband e.V. explicitly welcomes the court’s decision.
In its ruling, the 1st Chamber of the Administrative Court recognized that the Berlin-Mitte District Office’s claimed policy of only permitting public art installations for a maximum of two years was “neither consistent nor free of arbitrariness.” The court further noted that the actions of the district office indicate “that it would have been fundamentally willing to allow the sculpture to remain in public space even without a new tendering process, but was displeased by the specific message of the artwork.”.
The court also acknowledged the foreseeable political dimension of the case: The “fundamental conflict” with the Japanese government had been “predictable” and well known since the original permit was issued in 2020. The court emphasized that this conflict “cannot now, in the absence of concrete foreign policy consequences, outweigh the Korea Verband’s right to artistic freedom.”. It also made clear that foreign policy considerations do not fall within the jurisdiction of the district office, as foreign relations are a federal matter.
A Significant Partial Victory – But the Fight Continues
This ruling is an important milestone. However, the struggle for the permanent preservation of the Statue of Peace “Ari” is far from over. As a migrant and feminist organization, we face a draining power imbalance—but we will not be discouraged!
Korea Verband will soon consult on further legal and political steps and pursue them with determination.
We will keep fighting: for Ari, for a culture of remembrance that centers marginalized perspectives, and against the erasure of sexualized violence in colonial and wartime contexts. The Statue of Peace stands as a symbol for all of these struggles—and for our demand for historical justice.
The full decision of the Berlin Administrative Court from April 14 can be downloaded here:
https://www.koreaverband.de/downloads/VG_1_L_42824_Beschluss_VG_Berlin_v._14.04.2025.pdf
For press inquiries, please contact our press representative:
Bianca Halliday
bianca.halliday@koreaverband.de
For legal inquiries, please contact our attorney Paul Hothneier directly:
Tel.: +49 30 446 792-16 (Assistant: Ms. Thilow)
E-Mail: hothneier@dka-kanzlei.de
Photo taken at the Statue of Peace Ari on March 8, 2025, by Miji Ih.