Sunday, August 2, 2026
2:00 PM (local time)
Steps of the New York Public Library, Manhattan, New York
New York Peace Gathering Commemorates the Atomic Bombings
and Highlights Korean Atomic Bomb Victims
Peace Gathering at the New York Public Library. (Photo courtesy of Peace Action New York State.)
On August 2, peace organizations gathered on the steps of the New York Public Library in Manhattan to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to renew their call for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Members of Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World, Pax Christi New York, Peace Action New York State, Veterans for Peace, and other peace organizations participated in the event, delivering speeches, singing peace songs, displaying banners, and publicly reading "An Open Letter to the People of Japan and Korea".
Interest from New York residents and the media
In the Open Letter, the participating U.S. peace organizations expressed their sincere apology to Japanese and Korean victims and their families for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The letter noted that Korean atomic bomb victims have endured the combined legacy of nuclear violence, war, and colonialism, and affirmed solidarity with their call for accountability and nuclear disarmament. It also highlighted the International People's Tribunal on the U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to be held in Seoul this November, as an important effort by Korean peace organizations to pursue justice and advance a world free of nuclear weapons.
Juyeon (JC) Rhee, a member of the International Organizing Committee of the Tribunal, explained in her remarks that approximately 70,000 Koreans were exposed to the atomic bombings after being brought to Hiroshima and Nagasaki under Japan's colonial rule and wartime forced mobilization. While Korean atomic bomb victims have often been described as "disfigured, shamed and forgotten," she emphasized that they were never silent, noting that survivors and their descendants have spent decades seeking justice while working for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Juyeon (JC) Rhee, a member of the International Organizing Committee of the International People's Tribunal,
speaks about Korean atomic bomb victims and the upcoming International People's Tribunal. (Photo courtesy of Peace Action New York State.)
Introducing the International People's Tribunal, Rhee explained that the Tribunal is an important initiative through which Korean atomic bomb victims seek accountability for the atomic bombings and help ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again. She invited participants to stand in solidarity with the victims by supporting the Tribunal's oral hearings, to be held in Seoul from 13 to 15 November 2026.
The gathering concluded with a renewed commitment to remembering all victims of the atomic bombings and strengthening international solidarity for justice, accountability, and a world free of nuclear weapons.
Sunday, August 2, 2026
2:00 PM (local time)
Steps of the New York Public Library, Manhattan, New York
New York Peace Gathering Commemorates the Atomic Bombings
and Highlights Korean Atomic Bomb Victims
Peace Gathering at the New York Public Library. (Photo courtesy of Peace Action New York State.)
On August 2, peace organizations gathered on the steps of the New York Public Library in Manhattan to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to renew their call for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Members of Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World, Pax Christi New York, Peace Action New York State, Veterans for Peace, and other peace organizations participated in the event, delivering speeches, singing peace songs, displaying banners, and publicly reading "An Open Letter to the People of Japan and Korea".
Interest from New York residents and the media
In the Open Letter, the participating U.S. peace organizations expressed their sincere apology to Japanese and Korean victims and their families for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The letter noted that Korean atomic bomb victims have endured the combined legacy of nuclear violence, war, and colonialism, and affirmed solidarity with their call for accountability and nuclear disarmament. It also highlighted the International People's Tribunal on the U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to be held in Seoul this November, as an important effort by Korean peace organizations to pursue justice and advance a world free of nuclear weapons.
Juyeon (JC) Rhee, a member of the International Organizing Committee of the Tribunal, explained in her remarks that approximately 70,000 Koreans were exposed to the atomic bombings after being brought to Hiroshima and Nagasaki under Japan's colonial rule and wartime forced mobilization. While Korean atomic bomb victims have often been described as "disfigured, shamed and forgotten," she emphasized that they were never silent, noting that survivors and their descendants have spent decades seeking justice while working for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Juyeon (JC) Rhee, a member of the International Organizing Committee of the International People's Tribunal,
speaks about Korean atomic bomb victims and the upcoming International People's Tribunal. (Photo courtesy of Peace Action New York State.)
Introducing the International People's Tribunal, Rhee explained that the Tribunal is an important initiative through which Korean atomic bomb victims seek accountability for the atomic bombings and help ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again. She invited participants to stand in solidarity with the victims by supporting the Tribunal's oral hearings, to be held in Seoul from 13 to 15 November 2026.
The gathering concluded with a renewed commitment to remembering all victims of the atomic bombings and strengthening international solidarity for justice, accountability, and a world free of nuclear weapons.