Friends Exhibition Day 2024
Citizens’ Exchange for Peace in East Asia
The Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) became a divided nation in the context of Japan’s colonial rule. Although Japan and North Korea are neighboring countries, Japan still has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, and the “threat theory” remains strong. Relations between North and South Korea rapidly deteriorated in early 2024, and the impact is spreading to the Korean community in Japan. In this context, there is a need to transcend political conflict and promote mutual understanding through grassroots exchanges. By deepening interest in the lifestyles, culture, and history of neighboring countries and by building trust between people, we aim to create a society free of discrimination and division, and to lay the foundation for peace in East Asia.
Activities in 2024
Friends Exhibition
Although the Friends Exhibition was postponed, “Friends Exhibition Day” was held in Tokyo in December. 46 people, including those involved in the domestic exhibition, its graduates, people related to the North Korean school, and participants in the University Students Peace Forum gathered to deepen their interactions through reports, lectures, and group sessions. At the YMCA Higashi Totsuka Center, we exhibited past works and held workshops for children including quizzes, creating messages, and introducing our activities. We also participated in camps held in Yeosu and Suncheon, South Korea, sponsored by Okedongmu Children in Korea (Okedongmu), our partner NGO in South Korea. We met with participants from eight organizations from seven countries to conduct a meeting of the peace workshop fieldwork, “Drawing Hope.”
A workshop held at the YMCA Higashi Totsuka Center
East Asian University Students Peace Forum
At the University Students Peace Forum 2024, we carried out activities on the theme of “Learning from Jeju April 3,” with the goal of organizing a study tour to Jeju Island, South Korea in May 2025. This initiative is being carried out by merging the University Students Peace Forum with the ongoing activities of the “Osaka Association for Thinking About Jeju April 3.” As part of our study, we watched a DVD about Jeju April 3 and attended a lecture by KIM Sijong, a North Korean poet originally from Jeju Island and living in Japan, and conducted fieldwork in Osaka and Mikawashima, Tokyo. Many people joined midway through the tour, and approximately 30 people took part in the fieldwork in Mikawashima, which took place in March.
Fieldwork in Osaka (Toukokuji Temple)
Achievements in 2024
Connecting the space to the younger generation in a changing situation
Amid ongoing difficulties in collecting artworks from North Korea, the Friends Exhibition was not held this year, making it a year for rethinking its future direction. However, during the Friends Exhibition Day, we reaffirmed the importance of dialogue across generations and positions. In particular, the large participation among younger generations provided the valuable opportunity to sense a growing interest in the activities. In addition, a small exhibition and workshop held at the YMCA Higashi-Totsuka Center served as a steppingstone for future developments. Within the University Students Peace Forum, a certain number of students continued to participate, and 30 people joined the visit to Jeju Island. Recruiting new participants will be a key challenge for fiscal year 2025.
Fieldwork in Mikawashima (Tokyo North Korean Daiichi Elementary and Intermediate School)
A group session at Friends Exhibition Day 2024
Fieldwork in Yeosu and Suncheon organized by Okedongmu
University Students Peace Forum:DVD viewing of the Jeju April 3 incident
University Students Peace Forum:Fieldwork in Osaka (Osaka Kor ea Town Museum)
Voices and Messages
Workshop for children to think about the Korean Peninsula
SATO Kokoro
YMCA Higashi Totsuka After-School Club
Before participating in the workshop, the children did not have a very positive impression of the Korean Peninsula, due to the influence of social media and adults close to them. Through the workshop, both the children and I were able to learn that children on the Korean Peninsula live everyday lives similar to ours, spending time with their families and attending school. After the workshop, they expressed a desire to see photos of Korea, and some even researched the schools and towns on their own. It was also very impressive to hear one child express the dream of studying at a university in Korea. The workshop gave the children a new perspective, and I would like to continue providing opportunities like this in the future.
Voices and Messages
I want to face the past and become a peacemaker
KIYOKAWA Miku
Graduate Student
I participated in a camp organized by Okedongmu, where I considered how to build peace with participants from Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Cyprus, Ireland, the United States, and South Africa. My fieldwork in Yeosu was particularly memorable, where I visited the site of and memorial to a massacre of civilians that took place approximately 80 years ago, and confronted the memory of the massacre. The camp provided me with an opportunity to reconsider what peace really means. Peace is not simply the absence of war but I believe it involves many elements, such as remembering and confronting past massacres and wars, uncovering the truth, and restoring the honor of the victims. I want to become a person who can face the past memories and engage in dialogue with those who lived in the past, while cherishing the process of achieving peace.
The author :Second from the left
