The counter-monument as mnemonic device: The case of the Statues of Peace in South Korea

Abstract

This article analyzes the removal and restoration of the “Statues of Peace” in South Korea. Although the presence of the statues has generated political tensions, various attempts to take down the statues have been met with recalcitrance and restorations. This article argues that processes of demolishing, re-erecting, and making modifications to the monuments function as ways of provoking a public debate, in the process becoming themselves a mnemonic device. This article concludes that despite criticisms of the concept of counter-monument, first formulated by James E. Young, this concept can become a valuable design tool if it is understood as a continuum rather than a binary construct. This study contributes to the current academic debate regarding counter-monuments and urban memorials by illustrating how the tactics of the counter-monument may vary.