JAPANESE STUDENT'S VISIT TO EASE TENSION

[Anchor Lead]

The ongoing diplomatic conflict between Korea and Japan over the latter's export restrictions has led to a strong anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea, with many Korean consumers boycotting Japanese products. Some 1,200 Japanese college students have visited Korea in a bid to mend the strained ties between the two nations by meeting with the victims of Japanese wartime forced labor and apologizing to them.

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Students donning yellow uniforms fill up an auditorium amid loud cheers and applause. They welcome the victims of Japanese wartime forced labor as they enter the space one by one.

[Soundbite] (JAPANESE REPRESENTATIVE OF KOREA-JAPAN NGO) : "We would be happy to help heal the wounds of these elderly people. We love you. And we extend our apologies."

Some 1,200 Japanese college students attended this event on Thursday. They come from an NGO called Youth and Students for Peace. This elderly man was taken to Japan as a child when his parents were conscripted to work in Japan and ended up being exposed to atomic bomb radiation. He still vividly remembers those days.

[Soundbite] LEE KI-YEOL(KOREA ATOMIC BOMB VICTIMS ASSOCIATION) : "For the descendants, the pain is unspeakable. Their problems have been left unaddressed amid the cold war, and many members of the second generation died of disease."

The Japanese students also visited the Seodaemun Prison in downtown Seoul. They laid flowers at a memorial tower in honor of Korean independence fighters who perished during the Japanese colonial rule, and toured the prison to see the vestiges of the painful and shameful history of their home country. The students also pledged to promote private-sector exchanges in order to mend the relations between Korea and Japan.

[Soundbite] (YOUTH AND STUDENTS FOR PEACE) : "As a Japanese national, I want to understand the position of the Korean people and help Korea and Japan build a better future."

Some 100 of the students also placed chrysanthemums at a statue dedicated to the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery and embraced the statue. On December 31, the Japanese students met with the survivors of wartime sexual slavery at the House of Sharing to offer their apology in person. They will continue with their scheduled activities until Saturday.