If you happen to hop on Watch Girl Scout Nookies 15 Onlinea bus in South Korea, you might just come across one of these female statues.
The statues are meant to pay tribute to "comfort women" -- women in occupied countries who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels, during World War II.
SEE ALSO: Japan's prime minister stops short of apology for WWII actionsThey were installed in five buses across Seoul, to commemorate international "comfort women" day, which fell on Monday.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - AUGUST 14: A Comfort Woman statue installed in a bus ahead of the 72nd Independence Day on August 14, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. The statue was originally erected in 2011 in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul and regarded as the symbol of the sex slaves forced to work by the Japanese Imperial Amry during the WWII. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images South Korea is still home to 37 comfort women, most of whom are in their 80s.
But why is this a big deal?
According to South Korean activists, there were an estimated 200,000 women forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers.
A large proportion of the wartime atrocities are believed to have happened in Korea, with others in countries like China, Taiwan and the Philippines.
But Japan had for years denied the existence of comfort women, saying that the women were sex workers, and were not forced to provide their services.
It was not until 2015 that Tokyo issued a formal apology and agreed to pay $8.3 million (1 billion yen) to victims in South Korea.
However, some Koreans still find the apology insufficient, saying the agreement was reached without consultation with the victims -- and many are still angry.
Who is behind the statues?
The plastic statues were initiated by the president of a Seoul-based transportation company, Lim Jin Wook, who says the government was not involved in the installation.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - AUGUST 14: A Comfort Woman statue installed in a bus ahead of the 72nd Independence Day on August 14, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. The statue was originally erected in 2011 in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul and regarded as the symbol of the sex slaves forced to work by the Japanese Imperial Amry during the WWII. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images But Seoul has clearly shown its support for the project, which will run until the end of September.
The bus will play a traditional Korean folk song as it passes the Japanese embassy.
The city's mayor, Park Won Soon, rode on one of the buses, saying it was an "opportunity to pay tribute to the victims."
One of the stops includes the Japanese embassy in Seoul, and the bus will play a traditional Korean folk song, "Arirang," as it passes.
It will also pass by popular Japanese tourist destinations in Seoul.
According to Lim, he does not want to make Japanese people "feel uncomfortable", but does not want the issue to be forgotten.
But this is not the first time statues of comfort women have been installed in Korea.
BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 21: The statue of a girl symbolizing 'comfort women' is seen in front of the Japanese consulate-general on February 21, 2017 in Busan, South Korea. Japanese diplomats have been demanding South Korean counterparts to make efforts removing the statue of a girl symbolising 'comfort women' that was erected in front of the Japanese consulate in Busan in late 2016. The statues of comfort women set up in diplomatic establishments in Seoul and Busan by South Korean civil groups symbolise the dispute over the comfort women - Japan's euphemism for the Korean females organised for Japan's military brothels during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images A 1.5m tall statue, showing a comfort woman, was earlier last year installed by activists outside the Japanese embassy in the South Korean city of Busan.
Japan called for its removal -- and when South Korea refused, Japan recalled some of its diplomats.
The statue was initially removed but was later reinstalled after public protest.
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