Who are the Abandoned People?

Main theme of our Learning Cluster

Devised by Okinawan Peace Activist Nishioka Nobuyuki, abandoned people or Kimin refers to "socially, politically, and culturally alienated people" throughout the process of modernization, state-led projects, and human-caused disasters. Although the government has a role in protecting and treating all civilians equally, abandoned people are mostly ignored and discriminated against, thus marginalized. Throughout our trip, we had the opportunity to examine the idea of abandoned people that stretched from the late 1900s until present South Korea.

< This photo was taken at the street Itaewon crowd crush occurred, depicting civilians who were victimized as a result of the state's lack of safety management. The post-its stuck to the wall are from citizen, which contains mourn and remembrance of the tragedy.

Norimatsu, S. O. (2011, November 26). Fukushima and Okinawa – the "abandoned people," and civic empowerment−−. The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://apjjf.org/2011/9/47/Satoko-Norimatsu/3651/article.html