hankyoreh

US President Barack Obama

The White House hinted at a more forward-thinking stance on the issue of Korean victims of the atomic bomb attacks on Japan during World War II.

The message came amid heavy global interest ahead of US President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Hiroshima. Obama now appears to be caught between intensifying pressure both from Japan, which has asked him to meet personally with survivors, and South Korea, where many believe he should visit a memorial stone for Korean victims.

Responding to a question on the possibility of a visit to the Korean memorial during a May 18 press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Washington, White House National Security Council senior Asian affairs director Daniel Kritenbrink said Obama “is conducting this visit in large part to honor the memory of all of those lost during the war and those lost in the bombing.”

“And the historical record will show that in addition to the tens of thousands of Japanese who died in the bombing, there are also many thousands of Koreans who died in the bombing,” he added.

This marks the first time in the leadup to Obama’s Hiroshima visit that Washington has specifically mentioned Koreans among the victims of the bombings. Previously, officials had made general references to “all innocent victims.”

But Kritenbrink did not state any position on specific plans to visit the Korean memorial. When asked if Obama planned to meet with Japanese atomic bomb survivors, Kritenbrink said plans had not yet been made.

On May 19, Hiroshima Gov. Hidehiko Yuzaki and the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo) - Japan’s largest A-bomb survivors’ group - sent a letter to the US government asking Obama to meet with survivors. The same day, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida made the same request to the Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to Japan.

From Obama’s standpoint, a meeting with survivors may be necessary to put the finishing touches on his “nuclear-free world” agenda as he approaches the end of his second term. But the decision is not an easy one to make, as it could come across as recasting the US as the aggressor and Japan as the victim - a situation that could trigger objections from US veterans, with potentially explosive effects on the presidential election this year.

While the Koreans who died in the atomic bombings may be unquestionably victims, a decision to have Obama only visit their memorial would likewise be diplomatically fraught. Objections from Hiroshima residents could swell if Obama visits the Korean memorial but avoids meeting Japanese survivors. Washington also has to consider Tokyo’s position, given the strategic importance of the visit as a way of underscoring the strength of the US-Japan alliance.

The Japanese government appears concerned that the Hiroshima visit by Obama it has worked for so long to organize could be overshadowed if he pays respects at the Korean memorial - a move that could end up drawing attention to Japan’s history as a colonizing power.

The Citizens’ Association for Rescuing Korea’s A-Bomb Victims, a Japanese civic group that has long worked to resolve issues involving Korean victims of the bombings, sent Obama a letter asking him to “stand before the memorial stone to Korean A-bomb victims to mourn their loss and apologize to their families.”

In an interview with the Hankyoreh, association chairperson Junko Ichiba explained, “Just as Japan must apologize to and compensate the Korean victims, so the US should apologize and provide compensation as the ones who dropped the atomic bombs.”

Meanwhile, the head of the Hapcheon chapter of the Korea Atomic Bomb Victims Association responded to the White House’s first clear mention of Korean victims.

“This is the first time in the last 71 years that the US government has official mentioned even the existence of Korean victims of the atomic bombs,” noted director Shim Jin-tae, 74, on May 19.

“Had [Washington] acknowledged them and apologized sooner, the A-bomb victims who have already passed away might have received some consolation,” Shim added. “It’s unfortunate.”

Shim also expressed the hope that when Obama arrives in Hiroshima for his visit on May 24, he “will go first to the humble memorial to Koreans in one concern of the Peace Park to lay flowers and apologize there.”

The Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Association announced that it is working on plans to send a delegation to Hiroshima to deliver a letter to Obama at the Peace Park on May 27 demanding an apology and compensation.

By Gil Yun-hyung, Tokyo correspondent

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