Yoon, Kishida pay respects to Korean A-bomb victims

Diplomacy

Published: 21 May. 2023, 18:04 Updated: 21 May. 2023, 20:02

Yoon, Kishida pay respects to Korean A-bomb victims

From right, Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden chat ahead of their trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 7 (G7) Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Sunday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida paid their respects to Korean victims of the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing at a memorial park in Japan on Sunday in a show of strengthened bilateral ties.

This marks the first time the leaders of Korea and Japan jointly visited the cenotaph honoring the Korean victims at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

The two leaders were joined by their first ladies, Kim Keon-hee and Yuko Kishida, as they laid flowers and had a moment of silence to pay tribute to the bombing victims.

On Aug. 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and another one on Nagasaki three days later. There were an estimated 50,000 Korean victims of the bombing in Hiroshima, according to the Korea Atomic Bombs Victim Association. Some 30,000 Koreans, many of them who were in Japan as wartime forced laborers, were killed during the bombing, which took place toward the end of the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule over Korea.

A group of 10 Korean atomic bomb victims joined the leaders in the visit to the memorial park, which took part on the sidelines of the Group of 7 (G7) Summit.

On Friday, Yoon met with a group of surviving Korean victims of the bombing and apologized that Korea was not with them through their suffering.

"I sincerely apologize for our country not being at our compatriots' side at the scene when they were suffering such sorrow and pain," Yoon told the victims.

It was the first time a Korean president met with the Korean A-bomb victims and also visited the Hiroshima park.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center right, accompanied by first ladies Kim Keon-hee, left, and Yuko Kishida, right, bow their heads as they pay respects in front of a cenotaph for Korean victims of the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan on Sunday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Later Sunday morning, Yoon and Kishida held a bilateral summit, their third in three months, in a continuation of the "shuttle diplomacy" between the two countries' leaders which was resumed after a 12-year hiatus.

"Our joint visit will be remembered as a courageous action by the prime minister to convey his condolences to the Korean atomic bomb victims and at the same time prepare for a peaceful future," Yoon said at the beginning of the summit, referring to their visit to the memorial park.

Regarding Kishida's visit to Seoul earlier in the month, Yoon said his remarks "resonated greatly with the Korean people" and said he valued the prime minister's "courage and determination to show sincerity."

During a joint press conference with Yoon on May 7, Kishida said that his "heart aches" thinking of the Korean forced labor victims who had to go through painful and sad experiences in a harsh environment.

Kishida in turn replied that the joint tribute was "important for Korea-Japan relations and for world peace."

He expressed a desire to further discuss strengthening cooperation between the two countries on global issues.

The two leaders assessed that relations between the two countries were reaching a turning point in various fields including diplomacy and security, economy, industry, science and technology, culture and arts and people-to-people exchanges, and said they should continue to work closely together at all levels to produce tangible results, said the presidential office in a statement.

They noted the resumption of direct flight routes, including that between Seoul and Hiroshima, the smooth operation of the Korea-Japan future partnership fund and progress in supply chain and high-tech cooperation.

Yoon and Kishida later held a brief trilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, whose Asia-Pacific tour was cut short because of U.S. debt ceiling negotiations.

The leaders agreed to advance trilateral cooperation "to a new level," said presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon in a statement. They agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation among the three countries not only for better deterrence against North Korea but "also to solidify a free and open international order based on the rule of law."

This marked their third trilateral meeting and comes six months after talks held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last November on the sidelines of Asean-related summits.

In their latest meeting, the leaders also agreed to deepen cooperation in the sharing of North Korean missile warning information in real-time, their Indo-Pacific strategies, economic security and engagement with Pacific Island nations, Lee added.

The White House said in a statement that Biden "commended" Yoon and Kishida "on their courageous work to improve their bilateral ties," noting that the trilateral partnership and the Indo-Pacific are stronger because of their efforts.

It added that the leaders "discussed how to take their trilateral cooperation to new heights," including new coordination in the face of North Korea's illicit nuclear and missile threats, on economic security, and on their respective Indo-Pacific strategies.

Biden, in turn, invited Yoon and Kishida for another trilateral meeting in Washington, reported Reuters, citing a senior U.S. official.

Yoon, who returned from a state visit to the United States last month, was seated next to Biden at the G7 dinner banquet Saturday evening, and the two leaders chatted about an array of issues according to the presidential office.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Sunday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Later Sunday afternoon, Yoon held his first bilateral summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who made a surprise in-person appearance at the G7 gathering the previous day to rally support for his country in the war against Russia.

The Korean government will continue to provide the support needed by Ukraine, including diplomatic, economic and humanitarian assistance, in close cooperation with the international community, Yoon told Zelensky, according to spokesman Lee.

Yoon said Korea will do its best to swiftly provide supplies that Ukraine currently needs, such as demining equipment and ambulances.

Zelensky said he is grateful that Korea has provided urgent humanitarian aid, including medicines, generators and computers, in a timely manner through close consultations between the two countries, according to Lee.

They also agreed to cooperate on Korean companies' participation in postwar reconstruction efforts in Ukraine in the future.

"Thank you for the humanitarian and non-lethal assistance to our country, in particular, for the provision of demining vehicles and protective equipment," Zelensky wrote in a social media post after the meeting.

He said he briefed Yoon "about the situation at the front and the progress of repulsing full-scale aggression," and said he is "grateful for the attention to the projects presented" by his first lady.

The meeting came at the request of Ukraine, said Yoon's office.

Last Tuesday, Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska asked Yoon in a meeting in Seoul to provide non-lethal military aid, such as equipment for detecting and removing mines and ambulances.

In an interview last month, Yoon suggested that Korea could provide aid beyond humanitarian or financial support if Ukraine comes under a large-scale attack on its civilians or another serious violation of the laws of war. This suggested a possible shift from Korea's official policy of not providing lethal aid to countries at war.

"In Ukraine, attempts are made to change the status quo by force, forceful killings, and the serious violations of the freedom and prosperity of Ukrainians," Yoon said in an expanded session on peace and security and global governance at the G7 Summit Sunday. "This is a direct violation of international norms and the rule of law."

He also criticized North Korea's "egregious violations of international norms" through its nuclear and missile programs.

In a joint communique Saturday, the G7 leaders called out China for "militarization activities" in the region and pledged support for Ukraine "for as long as it takes in the face of Russia's illegal war of aggression."

The G7 leaders also issued a statement Friday entitled the "Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament" which called on North Korea to "refrain from any other destabilizing or provocative actions," including further nuclear tests or launches that use ballistic missile technology.

They also committed to the goal of North Korea's "complete, verifiable, and irreversible abandonment of its nuclear weapons."

It was the first time an exclusive statement on nuclear disarmament was released at a G7 Summit.

South Korea was one of eight guest countries invited by the host country Japan to attend the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima.

In an expanded session on food security, health, sustainable development and gender equality on Saturday, Yoon promised that Korea as a "global pivotal country" will support vulnerable and developing countries.

Yoon highlighted that Korea will further work toward increasing rice production capacity in seven African countries through the so-called "K-rice belt" project.

The project aims to share Korea's rice self-sufficiency experiences with countries that are struggling with a lack of agricultural infrastructure and limitations in crop growth.

Yoon pledged an additional $24 million in contributions from Korea to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), nearly tripling contributions to the international foundation based in Norway. The CEPI receives and distributes donations to enable research into developing vaccines against emerging infectious diseases and ensure equitable distribution.

Korea will also double annual aid through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), raising assistance from 50,000 tons of grain to 100,000 tons, he added.

Korea plans to expand the emergency rice reserve for the Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve, or Apterr, Yoon added, referring to a regional partnership involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Korea, China and Japan aimed at strengthening food security, alleviating poverty and eradiating malnourishment.

Yoon also held bilateral summits with the leaders of Australia, Vietnam, Britain, India, Comoros and Indonesia, which focused largely on economic cooperation.

In a meeting with Comorian President Azali Assoumani Sunday, Yoon said he supported the inclusion of the African Union in the Group of 20 (G20), according to his office.

Yoon returned to Korea later Sunday, wrapping up a three-day trip to Hiroshima to attend the G7 Summit.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]