Stepping Stone for Peace

Stepping Stone for Peace is an organization that follows the steps of a German artist Gunter Deming, known for the Stolpersteine memorials for the victims of the Holocaust. Stolpersteine is a German word for "stumbling block," which are small copper memorials for the victims. This was the world's largest memorial, with thousands of these “stumbling blocks” that have been laid in 21 countries in Europe.

“Stepping Stone for Peace '' started with Demnigs idea for memorials for the Korean victims the forced labor and abuse during Japanese rule over Korea. Demnig also came to Korea to establish the first “stepping stone” with this organization. This continued for years. There are now around 40 in Korea. I participated twice in this process of establishing the “stepping stones'' and the emotions I felt as I photographed these moments were a mix of all sorts of emotions. This journey and history's effect on the people, even to this day, is a reminder that we should never forget our past and our history.