Yoon and Kishida Jointly Pay Respects at Memorial for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida paid their respects at the memorial for Korean atomic bomb victims located within the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on the morning of the 21st, the final day of the Group of Seven (G7) summit. This was the first time that the Korean president visited the memorial and that the leaders of South Korea and Japan jointly paid tribute.

At around 7:35 a.m., President Yoon, First Lady Kim Keon-hee, Prime Minister Kishida, and Mrs. Yuko Kishida lined up at the memorial, laid flowers, and bowed their heads in silent prayer for about 10 seconds to honor the Korean atomic bomb victims.

President Yoon then bowed once more and greeted about ten Korean atomic bomb survivors and descendants of victims who attended the ceremony.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The two leaders maintained solemn expressions during the tribute and did not speak to the press. Afterwards, President Yoon boarded a vehicle guided by Prime Minister Kishida and proceeded to the meeting venue.

This joint tribute was reportedly proposed by Prime Minister Kishida during the Korea-Japan summit held in Seoul on the 7th. According to the presidential office, it symbolizes a shared commitment by both countries to prepare for peace and prosperity together.

The memorial for Korean atomic bomb victims was established to honor the souls of Koreans who lost their lives in the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. The Hiroshima Prefecture Headquarters of the Korean Residents Union in Japan built it near the Honkawa and Aioi bridges in Hiroshima in April 1970. In 1999, the City of Hiroshima approved its relocation to its current site within the Peace Memorial Park.

It is estimated that about 50,000 Koreans were affected when the atomic bomb exploded in Hiroshima. The Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Association estimates that 30,000 Koreans died due to the Hiroshima bombing, while the memorial records the number of deaths as 20,000.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.