South Korean President Invites Korean Victims of Atomic Bombings to Meeting in Seoul

By Kazuki Koike / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

20:49 JST, September 29, 2023

SEOUL — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday invited Korean survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing and their children living in Japan to a meeting in Seoul.

The invitation marks the first time that Seoul has asked compatriots who were victims of the atomic bombings to visit.

“I hope that your visit to Seoul will comfort everyone in your sorrows,” Yoon said. “We will develop relations with Japan in a future-oriented manner and do our best for our compatriots.”

People from the Korean Peninsula were also among victims of the atomic bombings. In May of this year, Yoon became the first sitting South Korean president to visit a monument for the Korean victims of the atomic bombing at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima.