Hiroshima schoolchildren engage in peace exchange with students from South Korea
Jul. 14, 2016
by Luan Xiaoyu, Staff Writer
On July 13, 23 sixth-grade students from Motomatchi Elementary School in Naka Ward, Hiroshima took part in an exchange with South Korean students to promote peace. To boost international exchanges in the A-bombed city and share a mutual wish for a peaceful world, the school hosted children from South Korea for the first time.
A total of 25 sixth-grade students from elementary schools in Incheon, South Korea paid a visit to the school in Hiroshima. They toured several spots related to the atomic bombing that are found near the school, which is located about one kilometer north of the hypocenter, including the broken branch of a hackberry tree that suffered the wrath of the bombing and “Enoki Road” (“Hackberry Road”), part of a passageway in the school building where peace education materials are on display. The children then colored paper cranes, ate lunch together, and talked about their school life.
Motomachi Elementary School has a put a special focus on cross-cultural education because the family members of many children at the school are originally from China and South Korea. A visit to Hiroshima by an elementary school teacher from South Korea two years ago, who came to know about the cross-cultural education pursued by the school, helped realize this new visit by South Korean children to Japan. Sin Jeong Won, 12, said happily, “Although there is the sad history of war between South Korea and Japan, today’s activities made me see that we can all get along with each other.”
(Originally published on July 14, 2016)
On July 13, 23 sixth-grade students from Motomatchi Elementary School in Naka Ward, Hiroshima took part in an exchange with South Korean students to promote peace. To boost international exchanges in the A-bombed city and share a mutual wish for a peaceful world, the school hosted children from South Korea for the first time.
A total of 25 sixth-grade students from elementary schools in Incheon, South Korea paid a visit to the school in Hiroshima. They toured several spots related to the atomic bombing that are found near the school, which is located about one kilometer north of the hypocenter, including the broken branch of a hackberry tree that suffered the wrath of the bombing and “Enoki Road” (“Hackberry Road”), part of a passageway in the school building where peace education materials are on display. The children then colored paper cranes, ate lunch together, and talked about their school life.
Motomachi Elementary School has a put a special focus on cross-cultural education because the family members of many children at the school are originally from China and South Korea. A visit to Hiroshima by an elementary school teacher from South Korea two years ago, who came to know about the cross-cultural education pursued by the school, helped realize this new visit by South Korean children to Japan. Sin Jeong Won, 12, said happily, “Although there is the sad history of war between South Korea and Japan, today’s activities made me see that we can all get along with each other.”
(Originally published on July 14, 2016)
