Tenth Anniversary of Korea-Japan Friendship Monument Celebrated; SGI-Korea Youth Convention Held

On May 10, 2009, Soka Gakkai representatives and Korean residents in Kyushu, Japan, gathered at the Soka Gakkai Fukuoka Training Center, Fukuoka Prefecture, for a commemorative meeting to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Korea-Japan Friendship Monument. Soka Gakkai Vice President Masaharu Sato announced that May 15, the day when the monument was unveiled in 1999, was designated as "Mentor and Disciple Day for Korea-Japan Friendship." He also encouraged the participants to make their best efforts to advance friendly relations between Korea and Japan, marking May 15 as a milestone for future advancement.

On April 26, SGI-Korea hosted a youth convention in Busan Metropolitan City, South Korea, with some 4,000 youth representatives attending. The event opened with a celebratory performance by SGI-Korea’s Arirang Fife-and-Drum Corps. Following SGI-Korea Youth Leader Yang Myung Jun's opening remarks, youth members representing each region of the country presented dynamic performances. Busan youth performed with Korean drums. The youth from Ulsan and Gyeongnam danced hip-hop music and demonstrated taekwondo, the traditional martial arts in Korea, to the tune of "Crimson Dawn of Peace," respectively.

[Adapted from an article in the May 12, 2009 issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]