Joint Concert by Asagao-no-kai & Korean Embassy ≪Nov. 9th, 2023≫
We had held the photo exhibition "Message of little Megumi and her family" (Please refer to VR photo exhibition of this HP) at Takashimaya department store in Nihonbashi Tokyo from August 2nd to 14th. Mr. Ambassador of Republic of Korea in Japan Dokmin Yoon visited our photo exhibition and he said "We have many abductees by North Korea, too. Let us cooperate to solve the abduction issue together. " It was reason why we asked ROK Embassy to give us a chance to have a concert at the embassy. They readily consented and made this happened.
We, ROK Embassy and Asagao-no-kai held Joint Concert at November 9th at the ambassador's residence inviting wives of ambassadors in Tokyo et.al. This was the first time for ROK Embassy to hold any kind of gathering related to the abduction issue and a concert. It was also the first time for Asagao-no-kai to hold a concert at the embassy.
The Korean side featured a piano performance by world-renowned pianist Chul-Un Kim, who has defected from North Korea, and the Japanese side featured a violin performance by Naoya Yoshida, a violinist and a classmate of Megumi Yokota, in a collaboration of video and music.
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Mr. Ambassador Dokumin Yoon gave a greeting. <Greetings Summary>
Shortly after taking up my post last year, I met with the families of the abduction victims and hear their stories. And in August of this year, I visited the Yokota Megumi photo exhibition hosted by Asagao-no-kai. It was truly heartbreaking and deeply saddening to meet the families who have had to live through such tragedy and to see the photos of a once happy family.
To resolve the abduction issue and the human rights issues in North Korea, Korea and Japan must work closely together. And for this, we need to garner broad interest and support. Today's gathering has been organized for this purpose.
Through the music, the universal language, of these individuals today, I hope we will better understand and empathize with the issues of the abductees and the human rights situation in North Korea. Furthermore, we all look forward to the day when Megumi Yokota and all other abduction victims will be able to say "I am back" as they return home.
Mrs Sakie Yokota gave a video message.
At the reception following the concert, we asked many of the ambassadors' wives in attendance for their understanding of the international community's efforts to solve the abduction issue and for their cooperation in holding similar educational events. The U.S. Ambassador's wife reminded us that cooperation between Japan and South Korea is indispensable to solving the abduction issue.
Considering the recent relations between Japan and South Korea, now is the best time for Japan and South Korea to cooperate with each other, and I hope that the Japanese government will now work closely with the South Korean government to achieve the return of the abductees. The speed with which the concert was held from the time we first approached the South Korean side with the idea of holding the concert to the time it was realized is remarkable.
I would like to express our gratitude to ROK Embassy for their great efforts in organizing this meeting and all those who took time out of their busy schedules to attend.
We look forward to your continued support for the return of Megumi to Japan.
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"Abducted by North Korea ~ Megumi,13 Years old ~"
This movie tells of the tragic fact that a 13-year-old girl who has grown up happily in an ordinary family was suddenly abducted, and tells of parent's earnest entreaties that they get back their beloved daughter. We would like you to see that it is quite a detestable atrocity and has been unsolved still now since 1977. We hope you would lend a hand so that the parents could hear the voice of their daughter's "I'm home!".
"North Korea Kidnapped My Daughter"
On November 15, 1977, 13 year-old Megumi Yokota disappeared without a trace while on her way home from school.
Twenty years later a newspaper revealed she was abducted by North Korean operatives and was still in North Korea.
North Korea Kidnapped My Daughter is Sakie Yokota's memoir of the last 30 years without her daughter.
Her resounding faith is inspirational as is her unfaltering determination to repatriate Megumi.
Mrs. Yokota vividly recounts the horrifying panic when Megumi went missing and the entire ordeal of her daughter's absence. (from Amazon.com)