On August 6, at 11:30 AM, the Hiroshima 80th Year Memorial Action for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims was held near the Statue of Peace at the Wednesday Demonstration site. This year marks the 80th year of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Among the 740,000 victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, it is estimated that more than 100,000 were Koreans.
In response, religious and civil society groups joined together to demand truth-finding regarding the forced mobilization of Koreans by Japan and the atomic bombings by the U.S. They also held the “Hiroshima 80th Year Memorial for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims” both in Hiroshima, Japan, and in Korea, to honor and restore the dignity of approximately 40,000 Korean atomic bomb victims.
Participants listened to speeches by Han Chung-mok, Co-Chair of the Preparatory Committee for the Memorial, and Ki-yeol Lee, a survivor of the atomic bombing, as well as a prayer by Ki-won Kim, pastor of the National Jesus Salgi Association.
As the final performance, the Association of Major Superiors of Women Religious in Korea sang a memorial song in tribute to the victims.
The Japanese participants for the memorial included about 30 participants, who held the memorial events in Hiroshima together with Japanese civil society members and Koreans in Japan. The memorial concluded with a Die-in performance in both Japan and Korea to commemorate the victims.
On August 6, at 11:30 AM, the Hiroshima 80th Year Memorial Action for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims was held near the Statue of Peace at the Wednesday Demonstration site. This year marks the 80th year of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Among the 740,000 victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, it is estimated that more than 100,000 were Koreans.