February 06, 2017 13:02
A Japanese documentary released Saturday depicts the life of a Korean student who sacrificed himself to rescue a Japanese man in a subway station in Tokyo in 2001.
Lee Soo-hyun died aged 26 while trying to rescue the man, who had fallen onto the track at Shin-Okubo Station in downtown Shinjuku while drunk.
The film comes out at a tense time in Korean-Japanese relations after official protests from Tokyo over statues set up in Korea to honor the victims of the Japanese Imperial Army's drafting of Asian sex slaves in World War II.
The Tokyo Shimbun on Thursday said "Bridge" sheds new light on Lee's life based on the recollections of his parents and friends. It is being screened until Feb. 17. The title refers to Lee's wish to act as a "bridge" between Korea and Japan.
His parents have since created a foundation to give scholarships to students there with donations of 10 million yen from across Japan received after his death.
Director Shuto Nakamura said, "I hope this film will pave the way for the two countries to become less agitated and behave more calmly toward one another."
"I hope the film will have a positive effect on bilateral relations," Lee's father Lee Sung-dae said.
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