Korean Atomic Bomb Memorial

The Peace Memorial Park is a beautiful place. There is a river, walking paths, trees and memorial monuments.  The monument to Korean victims of the atomic bomb was an important one for me.  Koreans and Chinese were forced laborers in Hiroshima.  It is estimated that 20,000 Koreans died in Hiroshima.  (2000 is the estimate for Nagasaki) 

While I photographed the memorial a Japanese woman who spoke English came and talked to me.  I was so glad she wasn't just another Jehovah's Witness evangelist.  There were plenty of those too in the park.  One stopped to talk about peace and war.  This particular woman was at the park following a friend who was doing a peace presentation.  (Afterall...she could have been a JW!) She proceeded to take my photo.  She shared with me a bit of history I never could have known.  I told her that I had come from Korea and was taking the photo's for my students.  She said that this monument used to be outside of the memorial park--off the beaten path.  Koreans and others worked with the city to get the monument within the peace park grounds....like the rest of the memorials.  I can not validate this story against anything.  If it is true, it doesn't surprise me.  Great tensions exist still between the two people.  It would just add to the tensions to have the memorial in any other place besides the park. 

 "Pwang Hwa Dong Il" are the words on the pink paper.  It is the saying Koreans use to talk about uniting Korea.  "Peace" and "Unity" are the two words.  

In Korea the turtle is a symbol for long life.   So the Korean Memorial to atomic bomb victims is a turtle. When you are a people who have fought all the surrounding countries to keep your "life" you need a symbol for long life! I guess if the USA can have a bald eagle (symbolizing fierce independence?) than the Koreans can have a tortoise.