Leaders of Korea and Japan bowed their heads together at the memorial stone for Koreans

[G7 정상회의]

尹-Kishida, the first joint worship…尹 “Prime Minister’s Courageous Action”
Korea-US-Japan summit after 6 months… Discussion of ‘new trilateral cooperation’ including North Korea’s nuclear program
Biden invites 尹-Kishida to the US

On the 21st, President Yoon Seok-yeol visited Hiroshima, Japan to attend the G7 Summit, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida paid their respects at the memorial for Korean victims of the atomic bombing. It is the first time that the leaders of South Korea and Japan paid joint obeisance to a memorial stone for Korean atomic bomb victims, which includes victims of forced labor during the Japanese occupation. At the Korea-US-Japan summit that day, US President Joe Biden invited President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida to the Korea-US-Japan summit held in Washington, USA. It draws attention because it is not an opportunity for a multilateral meeting, but a new proposal aimed only at the Korea-US-Japan summit. On this day, the heads of state of Korea, the U.S. and Japan both emphasized that they would strengthen cooperation on the North Korean nuclear and missile threat, economic security, and Indo-Pacific strategy to a “new level.”

President Yun and Prime Minister Kishida and his wife laid a wreath at the Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Memorial in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park this morning, and paid 10 seconds of silence and paid tribute. About 10 Korean atomic bomb victims, including Park Nam-joo, former chairman of the Special Committee for Countermeasures for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims, and current chairman Kwon Jun-oh, watched this from behind the two leaders. President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida bowed to the 10 Korean victims in attendance.

At the Korea-Japan summit that followed, President Yoon said, “Our visit together will be remembered as Prime Minister Kishida’s courageous action to convey his condolences to the Korean atomic bomb victims and at the same time prepare for a peaceful future.” Prime Minister Kishida said, “I prayed with President Yoon and his wife at the memorial stone for Korean atomic bomb victims. It is very important for Korea-Japan relations as well as for the origin of world peace,” he said. “This is the third meeting with President Yoon in two months,” he said.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held a summit in Hiroshima that day and discussed ways to raise trilateral cooperation to a new level, including cooperation on North Korea’s illegal nuclear and missile threats and the Indo-Pacific strategy. It has been six months since the Korea-US-Japan summit was held on the occasion of the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last November. President Biden said, “I praised President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida for their courageous efforts to improve bilateral relations,” the White House said. President Biden invited the two leaders to Washington and also said, “With your efforts, the partnership and Indo-Pacific strategy of our three countries have become stronger.”

During his first summit meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the same day, President Yoon said, “We will make efforts to quickly provide supplies necessary for Ukraine, such as landmine removal equipment and emergency evacuation vehicles.” The two leaders agreed to “continue the necessary support so that excellent Korean companies can participate in the Ukraine reconstruction project and contribute to Ukraine’s rapid post-war recovery,” the President’s Office said.

“The giant destroyer was not tolerant of Koreans in the slightest.”

21st at 7:35 am Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Japan. These words were written on the 5-meter-high memorial stone for Korean atomic bomb victims standing side by side in front of President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The first to arrive were Prime Minister Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida. Prime Minister Kishida, with a nervous expression, closely inspected the arrival routes of President Yoon and his wife with his aides, and then greeted the President and his wife, who arrived by car. President Yoon, wearing a black suit and tie, and Prime Minister Kishida, wearing a blue tie, laid a bouquet of lilies in front of the memorial stone and bowed their heads in silence for about 10 seconds. It was the first time that the leaders of Korea and Japan jointly paid their respects at the memorial stone for Korean atomic bomb victims. The presidential office has explained that the Korean victims of atomic bombings honored by this monument include victims of forced labor.

On this day, the two leaders showed a solemn expression from beginning to end, as well as the sentence in the epitaph, which read, “The atomic bombing of August 6, 1945 took away the precious lives of about 20,000 Koreans in an instant.” As the leaders of Korea and Japan laid flowers side by side, the atomic bomb victims who were watching stood up and paid a moment of silence together. There are about 10 Korean atomic bomb victims, including Park Nam-joo, former chairman of the Special Committee for Countermeasures for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims, and Kwon Jun-oh, the current chairman of the Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Special Committee, who are the second generation of the atomic bomb victims.

After a moment of silence, President Yoon shook hands with Prime Minister Kishida and bowed to the atomic bomb victims. President Yoon’s wife, Kim Gun-hee and Yuko, also bowed with polite greetings. The heads of state of the two countries ended their visit without making any remarks.

Spokesman Lee Do-woon of the Presidential Office said, “It means that the two leaders are facing the painful past of Korea-Japan relations and working together to heal it.” supported,” he said. She added, “It also includes the meaning that the two leaders and the two countries will jointly respond with their ally, the United States, to the nuclear threat in Northeast Asia and, furthermore, the international community.”

President Yoon Seok-yeol (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hold a Korea-Japan summit meeting at the International Conference Hall in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on the 21st. The two leaders met three times in the past two months following President Yoon’s visit to Japan in March and Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to Korea on the 7th and 8th of this month. The two leaders discussed the smooth operation of the ‘Korea-Japan Future Partnership Fund’, the resumption of direct flights from Korea to Hiroshima, and progress in supply chain and high-tech cooperation, the Presidential Office said. Hiroshima =

Following the visit, President Yoon said in a 35-minute summit with Prime Minister Kishida, “Our visit to the shrine together today will be remembered as Prime Minister’s courageous action to prepare for a peaceful future.” Also, at the summit on the 8th, referring to Prime Minister Kishida’s remarks about the victims of forced labor, “My heart hurts,” he said, “It resonated greatly with the Korean people. He emphasized, “I think the courage and determination of the Prime Minister, who showed sincerity, are very precious.” In response, Prime Minister Kishida said, “Joint visits to the memorial stones by the leaders of Korea and Japan are very important for peace between Korea and Japan and for world peace and prosperity. ”, he evaluated.

At the Korea-Japan summit held in two weeks, the two leaders mentioned the smooth operation of the ‘Korea-Japan Future Partnership Fund’, the resumption of direct flights between Korea and Hiroshima, and progress in supply chain and high-tech cooperation. Spokesperson Lee said, “We decided to strengthen cooperation between the two countries on the global agenda, especially with the G7 summit as an opportunity.”

At the meeting, Prime Minister Kishida suggested, “I hope that we can join other leaders, visit the Peace Memorial Museum together, and pray together at the memorial stone in the Peace Park.” After the summit, President Yoon visited the Peace Memorial Museum with G7 leaders. Prime Minister Kishida personally guided the leaders of eight countries and the heads of international organizations in attendance to the Atomic Bomb Museum in the park.

Hiroshima =

Source: Donga

Mark

Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.