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The Foundation and the Toronto ALPHA co-hosted the Peace & Reconciliation Study Tour for Educators 2011, for 4 nights and 5 days from July 24^th to the 28^th. The Toronto ALPHA is an NGO based in Canada, which was founded with the objective to preserve and educate the public of the tragedy and teachings of the Second World War. The Foundation signed an MOU with the NGO December 2010 to work together in creating the bedrock for historic reconciliation and a peaceful community in East Asia.

This event was held to find the right teaching method and direction to nurture peace and reconciliation in the East Asia region, by visiting the historic sites of World War 2, where the tragedies took place, and listening to the testimonies of survivors. Thirty seven ALPHA members, consisting of teachers from Canada, US, Germany and other countries participated in this event, and the Foundation looks forward to this experience setting the right attitude towards 'fact and truth' so that it helps the participants effectively understand historic events, and that understanding be utilized to teach history in the class rooms.

Meeting with a survivor from the historic tragedy of World War II

In the first session of the event, there was a meeting between the participants and 'Haetdam' a club studying history at Yangseo high school. Dressed in matching fresh white t-shirts, the students presented through power point and video clips, the club's introductions and activities such as their volunteer work for the old ladies who were once comfort women. The ALPHA teachers were impressed by how the young students helped the elderly former 'comfort women' who were now more than 80 years old, thereby achieving the goals of their club.

In the second session the participants met with Gil Wonok, a former 'comfort woman' and Yun Mihyang, the Secretary General of the council for the women drafted for military sexual slavery by Japan (Here on 'The council'). Some of the participating teachers shed tears, while they watched a video prepared by the council on the reality of the 'comfort women'. But the former 'comfort woman's' interview that followed the video was even more heart wrenching. The teachers asked the elderly Gil Wonok, various questions such as how she was taken, what kind of treatment she received, and what her hopes for the future. To the question, what were her future hopes, she answered "I have never had hope in my life. Despite that, the reason I am here telling my story is because I don't want anyone else to experience, what I have had to go through, and to do that we need to live in a world without war, a world of peace". I was deeply touched by her words.

After lunch, the participants had interviews with Koreans who were coercively taken, survivors such as Gong Jaesoo who was forcefully conscripted to the Aso coal mines in Japan, Kim Jeongjoo who worked at the Jeongshindae: Korean Women Labor Corps steel material factory in Toyama Fujiko, and Hahn Jeongsoon, a victim of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. During the interview they repeatedly expressed their 'fury', even after emancipation they still suffered from the effects of their physical and psychological exploitation, and they still continue to suffer till today from the bias of others. Kim Jeongjoo who worked at the Korean Women Labor Corps was beaten by her husband who mistook her for a former 'comfort woman', shedding tears she told the participants that she eventually divorced and now lives in seclusion, alone and lonely. True Independence Day will not come for them until the Japanese government makes an official apology and provides legal compensation.

On the 26^th at the Seoul Tourism Organization office there was a discussion between the participants and History teachers from Japan on Japan's history education and their views on history, the participants were so interested in the discussion the allotted time was extended.

After the discussion, the group visited the House of Sharing, which is a shelter where former 'comfort women' forced into sex slavery by the Japanese towards the end of the Pacific war live together as a community. First the participants visited the museum of the history of 'military comfort women'. The museum displayed related material and pictures drawn in art class by the 'military comfort women' who were staying at the house. It clearly explained that the historic facts Japan openly denied were true. Next the participants interviewed the former 'comfort women'. Everyone had a different sad story as former 'military comfort women' it was an opportunity to expose Japan's treacherous acts.

Efforts to bring peace and reconciliation to East Asia

On the 27^th the group met with Naoko Jin, founder of Bridge for Peace and retired Japanese soldier Tatsuro Tahahashi. Naoko Jin delivers testimony videos of the victims to the assailants, giving the assailants the opportunity to apologize, the victims the opportunity to forgive, and the next generation awareness about the tragedy of war, thereby preventing future war crimes. During the interview with Tatsura Tahahshi the participants accused him and asked why the Japanese soldiers followed the government's orders. To this question he answered with the excuse that at the time the veterans were conditioned to believe that what they were doing was not wrong, and their hands were tied.

After the meeting the teachers took part in the regular Wednesday protest, which is held every Wednesday in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul for the resolution of the 'military comfort women' issue. It was a rainy day, but the teachers who took part in the Wednesday protest spoke out to the world, urging the end of war, human rights violations, and violence organized by a sovereign nation-state and discrimination against women.

The teachers returned to their homes after a very busy 4 nights and 5 days. The 37 teachers who participated in this event, will go back to their classrooms and teach their students what the 'facts' are, and who is telling the 'truth'. During these five days, I could feel their efforts and passion to deliver the 'truth' to their students. As long as our efforts to promote the 'truth' are aligned with their passion to teach the 'truth', I believe the day will come when Japan will have to make an official apology in the face of history, no matter how much they openly deny their past.

Global interest about East Asia's history and culture is growing. As a major research institute suggesting the path to a just history that will lead North East Asia to peace and prosperity, the Foundation's active research, diverse policy development and education activities will become more significant in the future.