Recently a pair of statues erected in South Korea of a man, resembling Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, kneeling and bowing to a seated girl symbolizing South Korean "comfort women," a term used to describe Korean women forced to work in Japan's wartime brothels, has sparked controversy in Japan.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga warned that if reports of the statue being modeled after Abe were true, it would be an "unforgivable" breach of international protocol.

The head of the privately run botanical garden who commissioned the work later clarified the kneeling figure was meant to represent anyone who could be in the position to apologize formally for the historic wrong, and it was not Abe in particular.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday there should be international courtesy for foreign leaders to consider, but declined further comment, saying it was an act by a private citizen. #Japan #SouthKorea #ComfortWomen

Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://goo.gl/lP12gA
Download our APP on Apple Store (iOS): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cctvnews-app/id922456579?l=zh&ls=1&mt=8
Download our APP on Google Play (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.imib.cctv

Follow us on:
Website: https://www.cgtn.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChinaGlobalTVNetwork/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CGTNOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgtn/?hl=zh-cn
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/CGTNOfficial/
Weibo: http://weibo.com/cctvnewsbeijing
Douyin: http://v.douyin.com/aBbmNQ/