Tracking the traces of the Joseon Tongshinsa (Korean delegation) in Hiroshima and engaging in peace activities
Japanese press coverage
Pursuing programs for understanding the history and culture of Korea and Japan, presenting Korea-Japan exchange model
[November 22, 2017]
<YU Department of Japanese Language & Literature students visited Hiroshima as the ‘21st Century Joseon Tongshinsa’. (Hiroshima Peace Park Nuclear Blast Dome)>
YU students visited Japan and acted as the ‘21st Century Joseon Tongshinsa (Korean delegation)’. Twenty students in the YU Department of Japanese Language & Literature visited Hiroshima, Japan from November 5 to 11 and made field trips and took part in exchange activities based on the theme of ‘Joseon Tongshinsa and Peace’ together with students from the Hiroshima University of Economics, which is a sister university.
During this program, students from the two universities were invited to the ‘Congratulatory Banquet for the Registration of the Joseon Tongshinsa Records as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage’ and pledged to act as bridges for the peace between Korea and Japan as the ‘21st Century Joseon Tongshinsa’. On the eve of the event, the students visited the Tomonoura region of Hiroshima Prefecture, which was said to be always visited by the Joseon delegation in the past, to examine the records and traces left by the delegates. In addition, as this year marks the 20th year since Daegu and Hiroshima becoming sister cities, the students of the two universities discussed the topic of ‘Thinking of Korea-Japan Peace in Daegu and Hiroshima’ to rekindle the meaning of peace.
Such activities of the YU Department of Japanese Language & Literature received attention from the Japanese press as well. The biggest local press company of Hiroshima, ‘Chukoku Newspaper’ introduced the activities of YU students on its November 11 issue (article and photo on right).
The YU Department of Japanese Language & Literature has been offering local learning activities for students through annual Japanese culture visit programs as well as Korea-Japan exchange activities by visiting Hiroshima, the sister city of Daegu from 2015. In
November of last year, students visited Hiroshima and met with Former Hiroshima Mayor Hiraoka Takashi and those who experienced the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima in 1945 to share the true face of war and historical incidents to learn about the meaning of peace. Also, the ‘Korea-Japan joint exploration project’ was pursued together with students of the Hiroshima University of Economics as students traveled back and forth Korea and Japan in August to track the traces of the Joseon Tongshinsa and explore the modern history and culture of Korea and Japan. Recently, they participated in the planning of events related to the Joseon Tongshinsa hosted by Yeongcheon City, which was a base point for the Joseon Tongshinsa, as they worked as 21st Century Joseon Tongshinsa in both Korea and Japan.
YU Department of Japanese Language & Literature Professor Choi Beom-soon said, “In this meaningful year celebrating the 20th year anniversary of sisterhood relations between Daegu and Hiroshima, students of the two countries discussed the meaning of peace and engaged in exchange activities to be able to understand each other’s history and culture.” He added, “Daegu and Hiroshima have a lot of history and culture that can be shared such as the history of the Joseon Tongshinsa and the issue of nuclear bombing damages. I hope that the various programs and activities pursued by the YU Department of Japanese Language & Literature will be an opportunity to suggest a new exchange model between Korea and Japan.”
<Hiroshima Peace Park, Korean Memorial Stone>
