An Inspiration for 100th Anniversary of Japan-Korea’s Merge
Aug. 23, 2010
by Mikyoung Kim
The month of August purports a cruel history for many Koreans. On August 29, 1910, Japan absorbed Korea as its colony. On August 6, 1945, a great number of Koreans died from, and injured in the aftermath of Hiroshima atomic bombing. On August 9, 1945, many Koreans suffered from the same fate in Nagasaki. And, August 15, 1945, marked Korea's liberation from the Imperial Japan after 36 years of subjugation. Korea and Japan are yet to settle the meaning of their dark pasts crossed with each other after 65 years of independence and defeat. What both countries need at this moment is a strong and united vision to go beyond the bitter shared histories. During his visit to Hiroshima for the August 6 Peace Memorial Ceremony, the UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon provided a very helpful clue for both societies to transform the negative experiences into the nutrients for reconciliation.
The atomic bomb, "Little Boy," was dropped from the US bomber, Enola Gay, on Hiroshima, a major military and industrial center during Japan's wartime empire. The American Truman administration's decision to use the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was on a primary reason for Japan's unconditional surrender. Since then, Hiroshima has become a powerful symbol of anti-nuclear pacifism. The human race woke up to the chilling reality that we are capable of self-annihilation: Scientific and technological innovations become a latent source of our own demise. Essentially, Hiroshima opened a new chapter in human history.
This year's commemorative ceremony was momentous in many regards. A total of 74 countries, a record number thus far, dispatched their representatives to Hiroshima reflecting increasing global consensus for a nuclear weapon-free world. The first time attendance of American Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Roos, drew particular attention given the US attack on the city causing massive-scale casualties. A few citizens of strong political persuasions staged street protests demanding the US apology for the destruction. The local NHK news programs also aired the voice of Hiroshima citizens who were not happy with Mr. Roos' passive participation while demanding President Obama's Hiroshima visit, while others acknowledged symbolic importance of the American envoy's participation. Mr. Roos neither gave a speech nor dedicated a wreath for the deceased at the ceremonial venue, making it clear that his attendance would be nothing more than a gesture of historical reconciliation between the US and Japan.
Mr. Ban Kimoon's activities in Hiroshima were a different story, however. He managed to deliver three speeches, and held a press interview in 4-hour span on the scorching summer day. His message was simple: the hopes for world peace through nuclear disarmament. Mr. Ban came to Hiroshima as the top leader of the United Nations with 192 member nations. And yet, he was unmistakably Korean in his stance: "When the atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I was one year old. Only later in life, could I begin to understand the full dimension of all that happened here. As a young boy, I lived through the Korean War. One of my earliest memories is marching along a muddy road into the mountains, my village burning behind me. All those lives lost, families destroyed…so much sadness. Ever since, I have devoted my life to peace. It has brought me here today." His words demonstrated the power of sympathetic imagination. It does not matter who suffered from what war. Human suffering affects everyone equally. The universal appeal to human beings as one common category helps the people to realize the transformative power of shared suffering. When 'my pain is always bigger than your pain,' it is very ordinary. It is the realization that 'somebody else's pain can be as big as mine' that helps us transcend from the self-absorption of the here and now to a mutual alliance with shared goals.
At the Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Memorial, Mr. Ban spoke about the Korean victims who lost their lives on the foreign soil. Out of about 140,000 deaths by the end of 1945, thousands of Koreans died from radiation exposure and other bombing-related accidents. Most of them were factory workers forced to support Japan's wartime efforts. It took the Japanese government about 50 years to acknowledge the sacrifices of foreign victims, the majority of them being Koreans.
The Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Memorial tells a poignant story of discrimination, silencing and partial acceptance by the Japanese society. It was the Korean Residents Association of Hiroshima Prefecture that raised funds to build the memorial in 1970. The City of Hiroshima took 29 years to grant it a rightful space within the Park premise. The edifice used to occupy an obscure street corner in the city until 1999.
Considering the dark pasts during and after the war, the municipal government tried to keep Mr. Ban's visit to the Korean Victims memorial a secret from the general public. In responding to the repeated inquiries, the City gave two reasons for it a secret. They stated that making his plans public prior to the visit could threaten his safety. As learned later, the City was under the order of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And yet, the policy could not justify why the gathering of Korean residents at the memorial could be a bigger threat to Mr. Ban than the gathering of 500 Japanese audiences at the auditorium for his public lecture. Another reason the City alluded to was that Mr. Ban was coming to Hiroshima as the head of United Nations, not as a Korean citizen. Mr. Ban also made it clear that he was at the memorial as a private citizen, not as the head of the UN during his speech at the memorial. Where the separation of his citizenship identity from occupational role sounded partially probable, it lacked in overall persuasion. What the mecca of anti-nuclear pacifism would have needed was the visit by the UN Secretary-General, not a Korean citizen who remembers the tragic history behind the memorial. Despite the secrecy, 100 Korean-Japanese residents gathered at the memorial and paid tributes to the deceased along with Mr. Ban.
Mahatma Gandhi stated, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." What Mr. Ban has shown during his Hiroshima visit was the influence of sympathy and forgiveness. With those philosophical principles, Japan and Korea can take the stronger initiatives in achieving more meaningful historical reconciliation with each other. And that is to the advantages of both countries envisioning brighter next 100 years.
Mikyoung Kim is an associate professor at the Hiroshima Peace Institute at Hiroshima City University.
The month of August purports a cruel history for many Koreans. On August 29, 1910, Japan absorbed Korea as its colony. On August 6, 1945, a great number of Koreans died from, and injured in the aftermath of Hiroshima atomic bombing. On August 9, 1945, many Koreans suffered from the same fate in Nagasaki. And, August 15, 1945, marked Korea's liberation from the Imperial Japan after 36 years of subjugation. Korea and Japan are yet to settle the meaning of their dark pasts crossed with each other after 65 years of independence and defeat. What both countries need at this moment is a strong and united vision to go beyond the bitter shared histories. During his visit to Hiroshima for the August 6 Peace Memorial Ceremony, the UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon provided a very helpful clue for both societies to transform the negative experiences into the nutrients for reconciliation.
The atomic bomb, "Little Boy," was dropped from the US bomber, Enola Gay, on Hiroshima, a major military and industrial center during Japan's wartime empire. The American Truman administration's decision to use the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was on a primary reason for Japan's unconditional surrender. Since then, Hiroshima has become a powerful symbol of anti-nuclear pacifism. The human race woke up to the chilling reality that we are capable of self-annihilation: Scientific and technological innovations become a latent source of our own demise. Essentially, Hiroshima opened a new chapter in human history.
This year's commemorative ceremony was momentous in many regards. A total of 74 countries, a record number thus far, dispatched their representatives to Hiroshima reflecting increasing global consensus for a nuclear weapon-free world. The first time attendance of American Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Roos, drew particular attention given the US attack on the city causing massive-scale casualties. A few citizens of strong political persuasions staged street protests demanding the US apology for the destruction. The local NHK news programs also aired the voice of Hiroshima citizens who were not happy with Mr. Roos' passive participation while demanding President Obama's Hiroshima visit, while others acknowledged symbolic importance of the American envoy's participation. Mr. Roos neither gave a speech nor dedicated a wreath for the deceased at the ceremonial venue, making it clear that his attendance would be nothing more than a gesture of historical reconciliation between the US and Japan.
Mr. Ban Kimoon's activities in Hiroshima were a different story, however. He managed to deliver three speeches, and held a press interview in 4-hour span on the scorching summer day. His message was simple: the hopes for world peace through nuclear disarmament. Mr. Ban came to Hiroshima as the top leader of the United Nations with 192 member nations. And yet, he was unmistakably Korean in his stance: "When the atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I was one year old. Only later in life, could I begin to understand the full dimension of all that happened here. As a young boy, I lived through the Korean War. One of my earliest memories is marching along a muddy road into the mountains, my village burning behind me. All those lives lost, families destroyed…so much sadness. Ever since, I have devoted my life to peace. It has brought me here today." His words demonstrated the power of sympathetic imagination. It does not matter who suffered from what war. Human suffering affects everyone equally. The universal appeal to human beings as one common category helps the people to realize the transformative power of shared suffering. When 'my pain is always bigger than your pain,' it is very ordinary. It is the realization that 'somebody else's pain can be as big as mine' that helps us transcend from the self-absorption of the here and now to a mutual alliance with shared goals.
At the Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Memorial, Mr. Ban spoke about the Korean victims who lost their lives on the foreign soil. Out of about 140,000 deaths by the end of 1945, thousands of Koreans died from radiation exposure and other bombing-related accidents. Most of them were factory workers forced to support Japan's wartime efforts. It took the Japanese government about 50 years to acknowledge the sacrifices of foreign victims, the majority of them being Koreans.
The Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Memorial tells a poignant story of discrimination, silencing and partial acceptance by the Japanese society. It was the Korean Residents Association of Hiroshima Prefecture that raised funds to build the memorial in 1970. The City of Hiroshima took 29 years to grant it a rightful space within the Park premise. The edifice used to occupy an obscure street corner in the city until 1999.
Considering the dark pasts during and after the war, the municipal government tried to keep Mr. Ban's visit to the Korean Victims memorial a secret from the general public. In responding to the repeated inquiries, the City gave two reasons for it a secret. They stated that making his plans public prior to the visit could threaten his safety. As learned later, the City was under the order of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And yet, the policy could not justify why the gathering of Korean residents at the memorial could be a bigger threat to Mr. Ban than the gathering of 500 Japanese audiences at the auditorium for his public lecture. Another reason the City alluded to was that Mr. Ban was coming to Hiroshima as the head of United Nations, not as a Korean citizen. Mr. Ban also made it clear that he was at the memorial as a private citizen, not as the head of the UN during his speech at the memorial. Where the separation of his citizenship identity from occupational role sounded partially probable, it lacked in overall persuasion. What the mecca of anti-nuclear pacifism would have needed was the visit by the UN Secretary-General, not a Korean citizen who remembers the tragic history behind the memorial. Despite the secrecy, 100 Korean-Japanese residents gathered at the memorial and paid tributes to the deceased along with Mr. Ban.
Mahatma Gandhi stated, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." What Mr. Ban has shown during his Hiroshima visit was the influence of sympathy and forgiveness. With those philosophical principles, Japan and Korea can take the stronger initiatives in achieving more meaningful historical reconciliation with each other. And that is to the advantages of both countries envisioning brighter next 100 years.
Mikyoung Kim is an associate professor at the Hiroshima Peace Institute at Hiroshima City University.
