Students from a high school in South Korea will go ahead with their annual visit to Japan for a cultural exchange program, despite schools from other nations backing out over radiation concerns prompted by the situation at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Students from a high school in South Korea will go ahead with their annual visit to Japan for a cultural exchange program, despite schools from other nations backing out over radiation concerns prompted by the situation at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Students from Hyungang Girls' Information High School in Seoul will meet Japanese students in Toyama Prefecture, which will host next year's festival, although they will not make it to Fukushima, where this year's event will take place.
"Japan is a country very close to us," one student at the high school said. "I want to encourage them."
The Fukushima Festival of Arts and Sciences originally attracted about 80 participants from South Korea, the United States, China and Brazil. All but the students from the Hyungang school backed out over radiation fears.
Nineteen students from the Hyungang school will visit Japan, although initially, some of their parents weren't too keen about the trip. But school officials were able to get many of them to change their minds.
"We do not want to discontinue the exchange with Japan, which has lasted for five years," said a school official.
"I want young people to deepen their friendships," added Jo In-hwan, a teacher who will accompany the students.
The group will arrive in Toyama Prefecture on July 29. They will perform South Korea's traditional dance "gang gang sullae" at a friendship concert to be held in the city.
Roh Hui-soo, a third-year student and member of the school dance club, said she cannot wait to visit Japan.
"I want to become one with Japanese students through the cultural exchange," Roh said.
Students in Toyama Prefecture are also looking forward to meeting their South Korean counterparts.
"I want to say thank you for visiting," said Ayaka Fujimaki, a second-year student at Fukuoka Senior High School in Takaoka
The Japanese students are planning to make video messages to send to people in the disaster-stricken areas, and they hope to get the Korean students involved in helping make the messages.
(This article was written by Toru Amemiya and Aya Narikawa.)