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Hapcheon is home to many people who were bombed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Japanese colonial era and returned to their hometowns after the end of the war. About 1,000 mortuary tablets of the victims are enshrined in the memorial hall in Hapcheon. Attendees mourned the victims by laying flowers in front of the shrine where the mortuary tablets were placed. Hapcheon County Mayor Kim Yoon-cheol said, "I would like to express my deepest condolences to the South Korean atomic bomb victims who ended their lives in pain and fear."
In May of this year, South Korean President Yoon Seo-gyul, who visited Hiroshima to attend the G7 summit expanded meeting, together with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, visited the South Korean atomic bombing site in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park. He visited the victims' memorial and laid a wreath. It was the first time that the leaders of Japan and South Korea visited the memorial together. At the Japan-South Korea summit meeting that followed, Prime Minister Kishida said, "This is extremely important both in Japan-South Korea relations and in praying for world peace." President Yoon said, "It will be remembered as a tribute to the victims and as a prime minister's courageous act to prepare for a peaceful future."
At a memorial service held in Hapcheon on the 6th, Jeong Won-sul, president of the Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Association, said, "It is very meaningful. I am very happy that you understand our pain." He also reaffirmed his pledge to be non-nuclear, stating, "Nuclear weapons must not be used as weapons, and we will continue to strongly oppose them."
President Yoon also met with Korean A-bomb survivors living in Japan when he visited Hiroshima. It was the first time that a South Korean president met with a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor. President Yoon addressed the Korean A-bomb survivors and second-generation survivors of the atomic bombings who attended, saying, "Even though your compatriots are suffering and suffering, the government and the nation could not stand by you." As the president who represents the government and the nation, I would like to express my deepest apologies and condolences." In addition, President Yoon promised to strengthen support for Korean A-bomb survivors in Japan through the newly established Overseas Companions Agency. "I would like to invite the atomic bomb survivors and their families, as well as people related to the Mindan and the Korean people, to South Korea in the near future."
The Overseas Koreans Agency was launched in June this year. Overseas Koreans refer to Koreans living abroad and direct descendants without Korean citizenship. There are about 7.32 million people in the world, of which about 810,000 live in Japan. At the inauguration ceremony, President Yoon reaffirmed his desire to invite Korean hibakusha living in Japan to South Korea and "comfort them as much as possible."
A memorial service was also held on May 5th in front of the cenotaph for the Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park, where the leaders of Japan and South Korea visited in May. Lee Ki-cheol, head of the Overseas Korean Affairs Agency, attended the memorial service for the first time. "I vow never to let my compatriots suffer like this again," Lee said. At the memorial service, a list of 2,810 victims was presented, including eight newly confirmed dead over the course of this year.
An estimated 70,000 to 100,000 South Koreans were victims of the atomic bombing, with 2,210 survivors as of June this year. The Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Association has requested President Yoon to meet with not only Korean A-bomb survivors living in Japan but also A-bomb survivors living in South Korea, but this has not materialized. Among the hibakusha living in South Korea, there are many who do not want to make their experiences public for fear of being discriminated against.
2023/08/07 13:22 KST
