Dong-Eui University East Asia Research Institute Holds Special Lecture with President of Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Descendants Association

Special Lecture on "Attending the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony and Its Significance"

The East Asia Research Institute at Dong-Eui University, led by Director Lee Kyungkyu, held a special lecture on June 4 in the Seminar Room of the Second Humanities Building. The event featured Lee Taejae, President of the Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Descendants Association, who had been invited to the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony held in Oslo, Norway, in December 2024. The lecture was titled "Attending the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony and Its Significance."

Dong-Eui University East Asia Research Institute held a special lecture invited by the Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Descendants Association. Provided by Dong-Eui University

During the lecture, President Lee Taejae stated, "The decision by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to award the prize to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations reflects a recognition of the pain and suffering endured by countless atomic bomb victims around the world, and the need for peaceful healing." He emphasized, "Nuclear weapons must never be used again anywhere on Earth, and we must ensure that there are never again victims of war or nuclear weapons in the future."

The lecture was attended by Park Jeongsun, a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, as well as officials from the Busan branch of the Atomic Bomb Victims Association. They shared their personal experiences of being exposed to the atomic bomb and the hardships they faced as victims, leaving the audience and students deeply moved.

President Lee Taejae, whose father Lee Kangnyeong was a victim of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki, has played a leading role in related civic movements since 1995. He has been active in Korea-Japan high school student peace exchanges, exhibitions of photos documenting the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and anti-war and anti-nuclear signature campaigns, all aimed at realizing a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons and war.

Director Lee Kyungkyu of the East Asia Research Institute shared his thoughts, saying, "Through this special lecture, we learned that the horrors of war, including the suffering caused by atomic bombings, are not just events of the past. The pain and scars persist into the present and future, reminding us that we all must take the lead in building a peaceful global community."