A local district in the German city of Berlin has suspended the removal of a statue symbolizing Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.

Mitte District said in a press release on Tuesday that Korea Verband, a local civic group, filed for an injunction with a local court against the district's order to remove the statue by Wednesday.

The district office said the application means the deadline for the removal is no longer effective, adding it will await the court's decision on the matter without taking further steps. 

Mitte District ordered the removal last Wednesday, just nine days following the statue’s installation, after Japan raised issue with it and asked the German government to get rid of it.  

About 300 activists and citizens staged a rally in Berlin on Tuesday to protest the district office's order. They gathered near the statue and marched to the district office, demanding it revoke the removal decision.