Rosamaria Caiazza, who brought the Statue of Peace to Italy’s Sardinia, stands outside the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum. (Yoon Woon-sik/Hankyoreh)
“Some Japanese people tell us that since Japan has already apologized to South Korea on the Japanese military sexual slavery issue, the problem is now resolved. They want us to interrogate South Korea instead. What we want to know is why South Korea remains so unresponsive in this situation.”
Rosamaria Caiazza, 65, who hails from Sassari, a major city in Sardinia, Italy, is one of the figures who brought the first Statue of Peace to Italy. The memorial to victims of sexual slavery by Japan, euphemistically known as the “comfort women” system, now stands in Stintino, a coastal city 100 kilometers away from Sassari.
Caiazza, along with her old friend Rita Limbania Vallebella — who happens to be the mayor of Stintino — sees the Japanese military’s system of sexual slavery as a universal women’s rights issue and is striving to inform tourists visiting from all over the world of this issue.
The Hankyoreh met Caiazza at the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum in Seoul’s Mapo District on Thursday. During the interview, Caiazza said the memorial in Stintino is still being dogged by threats from certain Japanese forces. She also expressed bewilderment at the South Korean government’s silence.
The Statue of Peace that was erected in Stintino, Italy, on June 22, 2024, local time. (courtesy of the Korean Council)
“Japanese figures aligned with the far right and who exhibit anti-Korean sentiments have sent the mayor and city hall authorities threatening emails, letters and packages. They claim that the South Korean military was guilty of heinous atrocities in the Vietnam War and tell us to ask the South Korean Embassy in Italy for an official statement,” Caiazza said. “Yet Korea says nothing.”
Caiazza refuted claims made by Japanese media, such as Kyodo News, stating that Stintino decided to add a statement from Japan’s point of view to the inscription. “Such claims are no better than blackmail and can be categorized as stalking. Italians take offense to such claims,” she said.
Italian newspaper Il Foglio reported on June 24 that the “political manipulation of the tragedy of women victims of conflicts is fully realized” in the Statue of Peace erected in Sardinia.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry informed the Hankyoreh on Monday that as the Statues of Peace are installed at the initiative of local communities and civil society, it is “inappropriate” for both the South Korean and Japanese governments to intervene.
The Stintino Statue of Peace is the 14th statue to be erected overseas, with the first being the monument installed in Glendale, California, in the city’s Central Park near the public library in 2013.
It is the second Statue of Peace installed in a public space in Europe, following the statue in Berlin, Germany. An inscription in English and Italian is provided on a separate plaque near the statue, which states that Japanese soldiers forcibly took scores of girls and women to be used as sex slaves during World War II and how this statue was installed to remember those victims of sexual slavery.
Japan has spoken out against the installation of the statue since its unveiling ceremony, but it has remained resolutely in place for the past five months. When asked how locals and tourists react to the statue and its inscription, Caiazza commented, “Their reactions are no different to that of people around the world. They are astonished that a developed country like Japan would conduct criminal acts on such a nationwide level and that this issue remains unresolved.”
“The issue seems to be disseminating faster through social media,” she added. Caiazza is discussing further Statue of Peace installations in Greece and Switzerland. She is also seeking to establish a sister city agreement with her home, Sassari, and a South Korean city overseeing the sea.
Rosamaria Caiazza speaks at the Wednesday Demonstration for Resolution for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan held on Nov. 13, 2024, in Seoul’s Jongno District. (still from Wednesday Demonstration live stream)
Caiazza was born in the outskirts of Rome, but lived in Sardinia for 50 years after her father, who was a soldier, was dispatched to the area. Not only was she a teacher for 25 years, but she was also the former editor of “Kotalia,” a webzine dedicated to communicating the cultures of South Korea and Italy.
Her passion for the Statue of Peace project stems from a deep love of South Korea. As to be expected from someone born in the country of fashion, she is intrigued by South Korean fashion trends as well as being a K-pop fan who stans Forestella’s Kang Hyung-ho and BTS’ Jungkook — even showing the Hankyoreh photos of her favorite idols. Now Caiazza is getting to know Korea in new and different ways — wearing hanbok, climbing Mt. Seorak — and on a deeper level.
During her trips to Korea at the height of cherry blossom season in spring and as the autumn leaves fall, Caiazza said stopping by the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum allowed her to learn more about the truth of the suffering of victims of the Japanese military’s “comfort women” system.
Sitting with Caiazza during her interview with the Hankyoreh was Peck Kwang-yul, the former director of the Yonsei Climate Finance Institute, who has been in contact with Caiazza over the years and helped her bring the Statue of Peace to Italy.
“She knew about the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ issue before going to the museum,” he said. “Europe and Korea may be half a world apart, but Europeans feel close to Korea.”
Caiazza emphasized that the issue of victims of the Japanese military’s sexual slavery system is symbolic of women’s human rights, beyond being an issue between Korea and Japan.
During the 1,674th Wednesday Demonstration held outside of the former Japanese Embassy in Seoul’s Jongno District on Nov. 13, Caiazza offered a message of solidarity in Italian.
“We will not be silent,” she said. “We must stand beside victims in solidarity. We will walk this road together, hoping that justice will bring those who suffered the recognition and respect that they deserve.”
Rosamaria Caiazza speaks to the Hankyoreh at the Korean Council’s office in Seoul’s Mapo District on Nov. 14, 2024, alongside former Yonsei University professor Peck Kwang-yul. (Choi Woo-ri/Hankyoreh)
By Choi Woo-ri, staff reporter; Park Min-hee, staff reporter
Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]