Peace gathering held at Koubo Dam to mourn Korean victims of forced labor
Sep. 13, 2016
by Masayuki Ito, Staff Writer
On September 11, a peace gathering was held at Koubo Dam in Takano-cho, Shobara City to mourn Korean nationals who fell victim to the forced labor used to construct the dam during wartime. About 100 people took part, including local citizens and both Japanese and Korean junior high and high school students and teachers from Hiroshima Prefecture.
During the event, a memorial service was held in front of the monument located near the dam. Suehiro Kusatani, 68, the representative of the local community association in the Koubo area, which organized the gathering, spoke to the participants, saying, “We have been able to continue holding this event thanks to the many people who have taken part.” Then, serving as the representatives of 18 Japanese students from six schools, Riri Kodama, 17, a second-year student at Yasuda Girls High School, and Shiori Sanuki, 17, a second-year student at Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin High School, pledged that the students would look back on this history, reflect on the actions that should not have been taken, and learn to live together harmoniously in the future.
Also in attendance was Hwang Ryeongsil, 16, a first-year high school student at the Hiroshima Korean School. He said, “We want to build a society where everyone can live happy, peaceful lives so that the tragedy suffered by first-generation Koreans will never be repeated.” A total of 12 students from this school took part in the event.
At the Koubo Dam site, about 2000 Koreans were forced to engage in hard labor from the start of its construction in 1940. The peace gathering, which consists of the memorial service and a study session, has been held since 2000.
(Originally published on September 13, 2016)
On September 11, a peace gathering was held at Koubo Dam in Takano-cho, Shobara City to mourn Korean nationals who fell victim to the forced labor used to construct the dam during wartime. About 100 people took part, including local citizens and both Japanese and Korean junior high and high school students and teachers from Hiroshima Prefecture.
During the event, a memorial service was held in front of the monument located near the dam. Suehiro Kusatani, 68, the representative of the local community association in the Koubo area, which organized the gathering, spoke to the participants, saying, “We have been able to continue holding this event thanks to the many people who have taken part.” Then, serving as the representatives of 18 Japanese students from six schools, Riri Kodama, 17, a second-year student at Yasuda Girls High School, and Shiori Sanuki, 17, a second-year student at Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin High School, pledged that the students would look back on this history, reflect on the actions that should not have been taken, and learn to live together harmoniously in the future.
Also in attendance was Hwang Ryeongsil, 16, a first-year high school student at the Hiroshima Korean School. He said, “We want to build a society where everyone can live happy, peaceful lives so that the tragedy suffered by first-generation Koreans will never be repeated.” A total of 12 students from this school took part in the event.
At the Koubo Dam site, about 2000 Koreans were forced to engage in hard labor from the start of its construction in 1940. The peace gathering, which consists of the memorial service and a study session, has been held since 2000.
(Originally published on September 13, 2016)
