THE KUKMIN DAILY

The residents of Utoro Village in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, have sent a letter of thanks to President Moon Jae-in, Christian and other religious organizations, and civic groups in Korea for their help at a critical time. The villagers were facing forcible evacuation, but support from the Korean government and citizens’ organizations in Korea and Japan has made it possible for them to move into municipal housing.

Utoro is an unregistered village formed in 1941 when Kyoto Airport was constructed by Koreans in Japan, mobilized as forced laborers. Its circumstances became known in Korea in 2004, when the purchaser of the village land was pushing for evacuation of the residents by force.

The letter sent on February 6 by Utoro Residents’ Association (president: Eom Myeong-bu) to “Citizens For Utoro Historical Center” (co-representatives: Jeong Jin-u, Park Yeon-cheol, Ryu Jong-yeol) expressed gratitude to President Moon Jae-in, saying, “That we were able to survive the evacuation crisis and can now move into municipal housing, is thanks to Moon Jae-in, who as chief presidential secretary for the ‘participatory government’ (under Roh Moo-hyun), solved the problem.” When the Utoro situation became an issue in 2007, presidential secretary Moon consulted with the International Alliance For Utoro and other citizens’ groups supporting the villagers, and arranged for the Korean government to support resolution of the land purchase problem.

“Korea’s many religious and civic organizations sent us their warm love as fellow Koreans, and we gained new hope for life,” the Utoro Residents’ Association wrote. 40 Utoro households will move into “Utoro Municipal Housing” this week; the remaining 20 households will move in gradually, with 2020 the target year for completion of construction.

The efforts of Korean and Japanese Christian organizations were very important in the process of saving Utoro Village.

In the early 2000s, the Human Rights Committee of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) took the lead in visiting Utoro Village, raising funds, and safeguarding the residents. The committee joined in solidarity with the National Council of Churches in Japan (NCCJ) and activated the concern of international Christian organizations. In 2005, NCCK presented its 19th NCCK Human Rights Award to the International Alliance For Utoro, the citizens’ organization that has been in the forefront of efforts to save Utoro Village.

Rev. Hwang Pil-gyu, who at the time was director of the NCCK Human Rights Committee, said on February 7 in a phone interview with Kukmin Daily, “When we heard the news about the planned village clearance, we recognized it as a crisis for these people who had lived in hardship ever since they were dragged to Japan as conscripted soldiers and laborers during the Imperial Japanese occupation. NCCK, together with other religious and civic organizations, made simultaneous demands, urging the Japanese government to set up countermeasures, and appealing to our government to show concern…It is deeply moving to learn that now they have a place to live.” He added, “Last month, we organized “Citizens For Utoro Historical Center,” with the aim of establishing a space to remember their painful history.”

*Photo: Residents of Utoro Village in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan gather in front of recently completed municipal housing. Forty households from the village will start moving into their new homes this week. Photo provided by Citizens For Utoro Historical Center.

Reporter Jang Chang-Il (jangci@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)


Original Article in Korean:
강제 퇴거 몰렸던 日 우토로 마을서 날아온 감사 편지: “퇴거 위기 벗어나게 해주신 문 대통령과 시민모임에 감사”