Tsunami victims in Japan learn Korean to overcome hardships

“We cannot afford to give up despite our hardships. We should stand up again. Korean-language lessons give all of us energy and confidence.”

“Flowers of hope” are blooming anew at a makeshift housing complex in Ofunato, Japan, which suffered extensive damage from last year’s massive earthquake. With a population of 40,000, the city had 1,800 households that suffered damage. Victims of the disaster, who lost everything in a matter of a day, are still reeling from their ordeal. But they have started to regain the energy to rebound a year after the earthquake. The seed for their hope is Korean-language lessons.

Since April 13, victims of the disaster have gotten together to learn Korean every other Friday evening. When a Dong-A Ilbo reporter visited the classroom Friday, 20 people were taking the second lesson. The classroom was a shoddy room on the second floor of a makeshift building, but the students seemed full of enthusiasm.

One student said, “If you live in a makeshift home, which is narrow and dilapidated, you get stressed out. We thought that if the people did something, we’d feel better about our situation. That something proved to be learning the Korean language.”

Hideaki Ueno, 61, proposed to start the Korean-language class. She said, “Because people who are strangers to each other live in makeshift homes, they lack a sense of companionship as neighbors. Since they rarely talk or interact with each other, some could die due to solitude or commit suicide,” adding, “I was also living in a makeshift home after losing everything, including my home and shop, to the tsunami, and I felt an urgent need to overcome the sense of deprivation.” Deciding to resume Korean-language study, which she stopped following the earthquake, she assembled people who also wanted to learn Korean.

The problem was finding a teacher. Ueno asked Child Fund, a civic organization in Japan that was conducting volunteer activities in the area, which in turn made a request to the Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Korea that operates in Japan. The foundation located Yoon Hwan-shik, the lone Korean resident of Ofunato. Marrying a Japanese woman 15 years ago, Yoon is a carpenter in the city.

“I was initially hesitant to teach because I’d never done it before, but I was touched by the strong enthusiasm of these people,” he said, adding, “As a victim like these people, I’m gaining more energy and self-confidence than they are.”

The residents decided to learn Korean due in large part to the influence of Korean TV dramas. Yuko Shida, a 50-something woman who says she became a big fan of Korean dramas two years ago, said, “Watching Korean dramas, I feel warmth in my heart. In Korea, people respect elders though they’re just one year older and have deep affection for relatives. Looking at Korea as such, I wanted to learn Korean culture and language all the more.”

Sachiko Otsuka, who says she changed her name to “Song Otuska” because she likes Korean actor Song Seung-heon so much, said, “On days when I learn Korean, I feel happy because I can forget all my misfortunes and difficulties.”

Yoshikaze Funato of Child Fund said, “After news of the Korean-language lesson spread, the number of students has grown from 10 in the first session to 24,” adding, “Various gatherings for club activities have emerged in recent months, but the Korean-language class is the most active."

changkim@donga.com