South Korean woman seeks health help from Japanese

Asia Pacific News.Net
Tuesday 16th December, 2008

A South Korean woman, who has been bedridden for years, has applied for help after suffering radiation-related illnesses from the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima during World War II.

Chong Nam Su, 88, has asked a Japanese court for a health book which makes her eligible for Japanese healthcare aid available to A-bomb victims.

After being in Hiroshima, where she lived during the war, Chong returned to South Korea.

When the A-bomb was detonated, she was less than 3 kilometres from the centre.

She applied for the health book in 2006, but Japanese authorities rejected her request as she was bedridden and could not visit Japan to collect the book.

Chong filed her application yesterday at the Japanese Consulate General in the South Korean city after being granted permission by a Nagasaki court.

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is expecting more than 300 people from around the world to seek similar recognition.

The Japanese government has appealed the ruling to the Fukuoka High Court.

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