On Aug. 6 & 9, 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
The Korean A-Bomb Victims' Association estimates 100,000 of the 700,000 killed or injured by the bombs were Korean.
Korean A-bomb survivors are still fighting for justice. This is their story.
TW: Graphic image
In WWII, 5 - 7 million Koreans were conscripted as forced laborers throughout Japan's empire. 670,000 Koreans were sent to Japan to work in shipyards, arms factories, mines, farms, or as "comfort women."
Photo of Korean conscript workers in Hokkaido
In 1945, 80,000 Koreans lived in Hiroshima and at least 30,000 in Nagasaki. Most Hiroshima Koreans worked in war-related industries or farmed small plots after having lost their own land in Korea.
Photo of conscripted Korean workers at Hiroshima's Mitsubishi Shipyard was in 1944
As colonial subjects, Koreans experienced widespread social discrimination, poverty, and lived in segregated neighborhoods. These factors contributed to their high rates of radiation exposure and death.
50,000 Koreans died in the atomic bombings or shortly after.
Most of the 43,000 survivors returned to Korea. The Korea Atomic Bomb Casualty Association estimates 60% of survivor-returnees died of radiation-related illness or in the Korean War.
Photo: Hapcheon memorial shrine
Survivors have faced many challenges in S. Korea.
The ROK govt ignored survivors for decades. Many survivors & their children were disabled & unable to work or afford medical care. 20% of 2nd & 3rd-gen descendants of survivors have congenital deficiencies & hereditary diseases.
In 1957 Japan began to offer medical benefits to atomic bomb survivors, but excluded Koreans.
Korean A-bomb survivors "illegally" crossed borders, filed lawsuits, and fought for decades to receive legal and medical rights in Japan. Some are still fighting to be recognized.
After WWII, the US refused responsibility for A-bomb survivors, but continued to test and station nuclear weapons throughout the Pacific.
Korea is just one link in a long chain of US nuclear destruction, from mines in the Belgian Congo and Diné/Navajo lands to the Pacific.
Although most Korean A-bomb survivors left Japan for what became South Korea, about 3,000 went to North Korea. Japan has never compensated any A-bomb survivors in North Korea. Like all DPRK citizens, these survivors receive free medical care. mainichi.jp/english/articl…
The decades-long struggle for Korean A-bomb survivors' rights is not over.
To this day the Korean A-bomb Victims’ Association continues to make the following demands:
In early 2020, Nodutdol planned to host the Korean A-bomb Victims’ Association in NYC. The trip was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Victims’ Association plans to host a People's Tribunal in the near future to hold the US accountable.
Justice for Korean A-bomb survivors means more than reparations and recognition; it means an end to the US nuclear arsenal and the system of imperialism these weapons of mass destruction protect.
Association President Sim Jintae made the following statement at a 2015 UN meeting:
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On New Year’s Eve, global media reported that Kim Jong Un no longer supports Korean reunification. But this is not true.
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Kim Jong Un recently announced major changes in north Korea’s stance towards reunification. This marks a huge breakdown in inter-Korean relations after years of US, south Korean, and Japanese aggression.
However, north Korea has NOT abandoned reunification.
In a speech made on Dec 31 at the 9th Plenum of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea, Kim Jong Un rejected south Korea’s formula for “reunification by absorption”— the idea south Korea should absorb the north, overthrow its govt, and abolish its socialist system.
As anti-imperialist Koreans, we stand unequivocally with Palestine, its people and its armed resistance against the Zionist occupation. This is neither a two-sided conflict nor a war: it is an occupation and a genocide.
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As Koreans whose homeland is divided, we know imperialism is our common enemy. Following our liberation from Japanese colonialism and the beginning of independent socialist construction in Korea, the US split our country in two and indiscriminately bombed and killed our people.
There is a reason the Nakba and the division of Korea coincided in 1948, backed by the same imperialist interests. Both Korea and Palestine are geographically strategic sites for the US empire’s grip across the world.
Today marks the 73rd anniversary of the “start” of the Korean War. We've curated a list of educational resources that the US & south Korean governments desperately tried to erase from our history. In the face of blatant US propaganda, it is up to us to learn the real history 🧵
The Hidden History of the Korean War by I.F. Stone
In this new book, I.F. Stone challenges the dominant historical narrative about the Korean War and exposes the US' deliberate attempts to prolong the war.
Blowback, Season 3
Brendan James and Noah Kulwin expose US involvement in the Korean War using primary sources, vivid storytelling, and sharp historical analysis. The season also features interviews with Suzy Kim, Tim Shorrock, and Bruce Cummings.
#OTD in 1980, the people of #Gwangju rose up against Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship, calling for democracy in south Korea.
In response, with a green light from the US, south Korean police & soldiers massacred 2,300 people. We will never forget the martyrs of Gwangju. 🧵
In Oct 1979, former President Park Chung-hee was assassinated by his own head of security. Chun Doo-hwan then seized power via military coup.
On May 17, 1980, he declared martial law, using rumors of communism to close schools, ban political activity, and censor the press.
On May 18, 1980, thousands of students in Gwangju gathered to protest martial law and the closing of their universities.
Police & soldiers responded with brutal violence, beating students with clubs and rounding them up for execution. Students and bystanders alike were killed.
The south Korean defense ministry defended its actions using the Status of Forces Agreement, which exempts US troops from following domestic laws in south Korea.
The Status of Forces Agreement is an imperialist tool that allows the US to control and suppress the Korean people.
With a US shooting range in their backyard, the residents of Changwon will face irreversible environmental, physical, and psychological damage.
From 1952-2004, the US installed a bombing range near Maehyang-ri village. At least 12 villagers were killed by stray bombs or bullets.
Single mothers face discrimination and abuse in south Korean society. On top of social stigma, the government also makes it difficult for single mothers to receive financial support.