President Yoon, “As the President of the Republic of Korea, I apologize for finding you late.”

On the 19th, President Yoon Seok-yeol visited Hiroshima, Japan, to attend the G7 summit, and met with Koreans who suffered from the atomic bombing.

Among the former presidents of the Republic of Korea, President Yoon is the first to meet with compatriots who were affected by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

On this day, about 20 people, including the first generation and follow-up people who experienced the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, were present.

President Yoon comforted the compatriots in attendance, saying, “The damage suffered by our compatriots from the atomic bombings, whether voluntarily or unintentionally, is the damage they suffered while living away from home during the colonial era, so the sorrow and pain will be more severe.”

President Yoon conveyed the plan to jointly visit the memorial for Korean atomic bomb victims with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, saying, “It is the first time in history that the heads of state of Korea and Japan will visit the memorial together, and in fact, it is the first time for a Korean president to visit this memorial.” I think it’s too late He said, “I apologize to you once again.”

“It will be a venue for me and Prime Minister Kishida to commemorate the Korean atomic bomb victims who left their hometowns and directly experienced the horrors of war in a foreign country in front of the memorial stone, and pledge together to open a future of peace and prosperity for both countries,” he said. .

The President reiterated his intention, saying, “I feel very fortunate to be able to meet you all this late today, and as the President of the Republic of Korea, I am once again sorry for coming to you this late.”

On the other hand, Kwon Yang-baek, former member of the Committee for Relocation of the Monument to the Korean Atomic Bomb Victims, who was a party to the atomic bombing, overcame many difficulties in the process of relocating the monument from the outside of the park to its current location, and resolved it with the cooperation of Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima City local governments, and willing Japanese people. Introduced an anecdote.

Former chairman Kwon Yang-baek, 80 years old this year, explained with tears in his eyes, “I will definitely report the comfort of President Yoon to my seniors in the sky today,” explaining that he is also one of the atomic bomb survivors and will be included in the memorial stone when he dies.

Kwon Joon-oh, second-generation atomic bomb victim and chairman of the Special Committee on Countermeasures for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims, also said, “President Yoon’s visit to the Hiroshima atomic bomb victims after 78 years has relieved the pain in their hearts and will be of great comfort to the Korean community.”

The family members of the atomic bomb survivors and officials from Mindan (Korean People’s Republic of Japan) were proud that Korea was invited to attend the Hiroshima G7 Summit, and expressed their gratitude to President Yoon for improving Korea-Japan relations, which had been difficult in the past.