The journey to peace 

Visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki with Korean youth

Jeon Byung-kil

Senior Consultant of YESInnovation

former of Secretary General of UniKorea Foundation

From August 19th to 23rd, 2024, I visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan with 25 South Korean university students and had a great experience. Participating in the Global Youth Ambassadors for Peace program, organized by Green Tree International and sponsored by Gyeonggi Province, was an opportunity to witness the pain of war and the seriousness of the nuclear issue beyond just visiting historical sites, and to reaffirm the value of peace.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the first cities to be bombed in August 1945, at the end of World War II. It's hard to describe the complexity of visiting the site in person. It was raining when I arrived at Hiroshima International Airport on August 19 from Incheon, South Korea. During the hour-long ride from the airport to my hotel in downtown Hiroshima, I stared out the rainy car window and thought about the events of 79 years ago. 

On August 20, I woke up at 6 a.m. and walked around the Peace Memorial Park near my hotel. I looked at the Atomic Bomb Dome, a symbol of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and imagined the destructive power of the bomb and the suffering of the people at the time. After the atomic bombs were dropped, many people died instantly or suffered from radiation, and their suffering continues to this day. As of August 2021, the Japanese government's "Atomic Bomb Death Register" lists 518,092 people - 328,929 in Hiroshima and 189,163 in Nagasaki - as having died from the two bombings and their aftermath. Korean victims account for 70,000 of them. 

One of the most memorable parts of my visit to Hiroshima was the Hiroshima A-bomb Archive. Visiting the site was more than just a record of the past, it was like stepping into a space that captured the devastation and despair of the time. Inside the archives, photos and artifacts of those affected by the bombing, as well as records of the time, were vividly displayed. In particular, the everyday items of the victims laid out there made me realize that each person's life had been devastated by war and violence. In addition, the writings and drawings left behind by the children, and the small objects they used, gave a sense of the tragedy.

During a historical tour to Hiroshima and Nagasaki last August, 25 Korean university students visited the memorial

for Korean victims of the Nagasaki atomic bombing and posed for a commemorative photo. / Photo by Jeon Byung-kil

On August 21, on our way to Nagasaki from Hiroshima, we stopped at a highway rest area in Yamaguchi Prefecture. This area was formerly known as Choshu Bun, and many of the leading figures of the Meiji Restoration came from here. Yoshida Shoin, the spiritual leader of the Meiji Restoration, founded a school in his hometown of Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where he trained many talented students and spread new reform ideas. I bought some bags of drip coffee at a rest stop, and the bag had a portrait of Yoshida Shoin on it. Even in the brief moment I saw his portrait, I realized the historical significance of his face. A simple cup of coffee turned into a moment of deep contemplation, not just a daily break.

In Nagasaki, the second city hit by the atomic bomb, we were shocked once again. The countless documents, photographs, and testimonies of victims at the Nagasaki A-bomb Museum reminded me of the brutality of war. The destruction of Nagasaki was especially heartbreaking because it was a religiously and culturally rich city.

Nagasaki was Japan's first port city, opened by the Portuguese in 1570, and prospered as a trading post with the West and China, and developed a unique culture where Japanese and foreign cultures coexisted. The fact that Nagasaki, a city that symbolized cultural tolerance and peaceful international exchange, fell victim to the atomic bomb left a deep impression on me. The devastating consequences of the use of nuclear weapons on humanity as a whole have been reflected upon, and we have learned not to repeat them.

We met with scholars, activists, and volunteers in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, organized by Professor Hyunjin Son of Hiroshima City University. They didn't just list the individual and community suffering caused by the war and the atomic bomb, they talked about what we need to do to make sure it never happens again. It made me realize how important it is to take action for peace and that it shouldn't just be a slogan, but a concrete action in our daily lives. Listening to their stories, I realized how important it is that the memory of the war is not forgotten and passed on to future generations.

On the last day of the program, I gave a lecture to university students about the World Peace Cities. I highlighted the examples of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the students as models of peaceful cities. These cities have become symbols of peace, remembering the horrors of war and sending a message of peace to the world to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

It also talked about Coventry, England, which experienced intense air raids during World War II, and Northern Ireland, which has long suffered from ethnic and religious conflict. Coventry was heavily bombed by Nazi Germany, leaving the city nearly in ruins, but has since become a symbol of "forgiveness and reconciliation," and Northern Ireland is gradually moving toward reconciliation through a peace agreement after years of conflict and violence.

These cities began their journeys to peace from different backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common: they have become symbols of peace through reconciliation and rebuilding in the midst of war and conflict. Their stories teach us an important lesson: peace is not something that is given, but something that is achieved through constant effort, dialog, and mutual understanding. The biggest takeaway from this program is the importance of peace. The tragedies of war don't end with the military conflict. It destroys the lives of countless people and scars them for generations to come. 

The Hiroshima-Nagasaka visit also brought to mind the North Korean nuclear issue. Today, peace on the Korean Peninsula is still threatened by North Korea's nuclear development, and the North Korean nuclear issue remains unresolved. It has serious implications not only for regional instability in Northeast Asia, but also for peace and security in the international community. Witnessing the devastation of nuclear weapons firsthand in Hiroshima and Nagasaki made me realize the importance of a peaceful resolution. North Korea's nuclear program is a complex problem that cannot be solved with a simple military response. We must find a peaceful way to resolve the nuclear issue and ensure peace not only on the Korean Peninsula, but throughout Northeast Asia. Beyond simply opposing war and nuclear weapons, we need to think about how to actively build and sustain peace.

South Korea and Japan have a sensitive relationship due to historical issues in the past. It's time to let go of the past and work toward mutual understanding and healing. This is the beginning of true peace. Our visit coincided with Japan's National High School Baseball Championship season. I was able to watch the qualifying match of Kyoto International High School, a Korean school that won the tournament, on Japanese television. Kyoto International High School's championship win was not just a victory for a Korean school, but a success story of cultural fusion. 

More of these examples in Northeast Asia will strengthen the foundation for peace. South Korea-Japan, Inter-Korean, North Korea-Japan, South Korea-China, China-Japan, etc...

We need to move beyond wishing for peace to creatively making it.