Korean students learn about horror of Hiroshima A-bombing
Aug. 1, 2014
by Moe Nishimura, Staff Writer
On July 23, 15 college students from South Korea took part in a peace education program in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in downtown Hiroshima. They are sophomores, juniors, and seniors from Keimyung University, Sookmyung University, and Incheon National University.
At Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, the students listened to the A-bomb account of Emiko Okada, 77, a resident of Higashi Ward, Hiroshima, who experienced the atomic bombing at the age of eight. Ms. Okada lost her 12-year-old older sister who had been mobilized to work for the war effort, helping dismantle buildings to create a fire lane. One student was in tears while listening to Ms. Okada’s story, as she asked them to convey what they had learned so that the world can abolish nuclear weapons.
Song Wonje, 23, a junior from Incheon National University, said that he realized that Japanese people were victims of the war, too, as were Koreans, now that he understood more about the tragedy caused by the atomic bombing. He said he hoped to help change the mindset in politics and diplomacy, which is premised on war. The students visited the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and the Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the A-bomb, and toured Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
This program is part of a seminar held by Hiroshima Shudo University, located in Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima, which has formed an academic partnership with the three Korean universities. The students have been learning about Japanese culture as well as Japanese language in this project, which runs from June 30 to July 31.
(Originally published on July 24, 2014)
On July 23, 15 college students from South Korea took part in a peace education program in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in downtown Hiroshima. They are sophomores, juniors, and seniors from Keimyung University, Sookmyung University, and Incheon National University.
At Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, the students listened to the A-bomb account of Emiko Okada, 77, a resident of Higashi Ward, Hiroshima, who experienced the atomic bombing at the age of eight. Ms. Okada lost her 12-year-old older sister who had been mobilized to work for the war effort, helping dismantle buildings to create a fire lane. One student was in tears while listening to Ms. Okada’s story, as she asked them to convey what they had learned so that the world can abolish nuclear weapons.
Song Wonje, 23, a junior from Incheon National University, said that he realized that Japanese people were victims of the war, too, as were Koreans, now that he understood more about the tragedy caused by the atomic bombing. He said he hoped to help change the mindset in politics and diplomacy, which is premised on war. The students visited the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and the Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the A-bomb, and toured Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
This program is part of a seminar held by Hiroshima Shudo University, located in Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima, which has formed an academic partnership with the three Korean universities. The students have been learning about Japanese culture as well as Japanese language in this project, which runs from June 30 to July 31.
(Originally published on July 24, 2014)
