Ari's full name Ari Rang referst to the popular folk song which is known as the inofficial national anthem of South Korea. The Statue of Peace “Ari” is a memorial dedicated to the so-called “comfort women” — girls and women from Asia and other regions who were systematically abducted by the Japanese military during the Second World War and forced into sexual slavery. The statue commemorates the suffering endured by those affected and at the same time stands as a symbol against sexualized violence against girls and women, both in times of war and in times of peace.

The statue was initiated by the “Comfort Women” Working Group of the Korea Verband e. V. Korea Verband is a non-profit organization based in Berlin that has for many years been engaged in human rights work, the critical examination of war histories, and the fight against sexualized violence. The “Comfort Women” Working Group conducts educational and public outreach activities on the history of those affected and works to make this history visible in Germany and to anchor it sustainably in public consciousness.

The first bronze peace statue by artists Kim Seo-Kyung and Kim Eun-Sung was erected on December 14, 2011, on the occasion of the 1,000th Wednesday demonstration for the “comfort women” organized by “The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan” in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

Numerous replicas of this statue can be found in many places around the world, and the statue has become an international symbol against war crimes against girls and women.