Seoul, Republic of Korea — Korean survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki will participate as plaintiffs in the International
People’s Tribunal on the 1945 Atomic Bombings (IPT), to be held on
November 13–15, 2026, at the Graduate School of Theology, Hanshin
University, in Seoul, South Korea. The Tribunal will bring together nuclear
victims from Korea, Japan, Congo, New Mexico, the Marshall Islands, and
Kazakhstan, along with international legal experts and peace activists, who will
participate as plaintiffs, witnesses, and experts. A Panel of Judges composed of
experts in international humanitarian law, international criminal law, peace, and human rights will hear the evidence and legal arguments and render its findings.
The Tribunal will focus on the suffering and rights of Korean atomic bomb
victims, examining the unlawfulness of the 1945 atomic bombings under
international law, the state responsibility of the United States, its obligations to provide an official apology and compensation, and the realization of the long-
denied rights of victims and justice for them. Through direct testimony from victims and legal arguments presented by international experts, the proceedings will seek to establish U.S. responsibility for the atomic bombings and advance justice for victims.
The Tribunal will also address the unlawfulness of the use and threat of use of
nuclear weapons, including nuclear deterrence policies. In doing so, it seeks to
explore ways to prevent the recurrence of nuclear weapons use, advance
denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, and achieve a world free of nuclear
weapons.
The International People’s Tribunal is a civil society initiative rather than a court exercising legally binding jurisdiction over states. Nevertheless, it aims to
establish a well-supported factual and legal record through victims’ testimony
and international legal arguments, clarify the state responsibility of the United
States for the 1945 atomic bombings, and promote justice for victims. The
Tribunal also seeks to build on its findings and recommendations to advance
international efforts toward the realization of victims’ rights, compensation,
truth-seeking, and guarantees of non-repetition.
The outcome document to be announced following the three-day oral
hearings is expected to include recommendations concerning the realization of
the rights of Korean atomic bomb victims and justice for them; redress for
nuclear victims worldwide; the abolition of extended nuclear deterrence
premised on the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons; the fulfillment of nuclear disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT); and the resolution of nuclear confrontation and achievement of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula through a peace
agreement and a non-aggression treaty between the United States and North
Korea, among other measures.
The outcome document will be publicly announced on November 15 and
subsequently published on the Tribunal’s official website. Korean atomic
bomb victims serving as plaintiffs and representatives of the Tribunal will also
submit the document to the First Review Conference of the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and to the United States Government.
The Seoul International People’s Tribunal represents a historic effort to establish responsibility for the 1945 atomic bombings, secure the long-delayed rights of victims and justice for them, prevent the recurrence of nuclear weapons use, and promote the development of international legal norms toward a world free of nuclear weapons. In particular, the Tribunal seeks to “promote a rule of customary international law prohibiting any threat or use of nuclear weapons” (Article 1(2) of the Statute), thereby advancing universal principles of justice and law beyond an international order dominated by nuclear-armed powers.
Journalists and international media organizations are respectfully invited
to cover the proceedings and help bring the voices and claims of Korean
atomic bomb victims, as well as the Tribunal’s historical and global
significance, to a wider international audience.
Further information, list of plaintiffs, victims and expert witnesses, and
detailed program:
https://kn-abombtribunal.campaignus.me/847944802
Registration and media accreditation:
https://forms.gle/5LWyDDHNEkcoACkb7
Panel of Judges
- Richard A. Falk (USA) — Presiding Judge
- Professor Emeritus of International Law, Princeton University
- Marjorie Cohn (USA) — Co-Vice Presiding Judge
- Emerita Professor of Law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Lee Suk-tae (Republic of Korea) — Co-Vice Presiding Judge
- Former Justice, Constitutional Court of Korea
- Katherine Gallagher (USA) — Judge
- Senior Staff Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights
- Co-Chairs of the International Organizing Committee
- Bishop Emeritus Kang U-il — Former Bishop of Jeju, Republic of Korea
- Takashi Hiraoka — Former Mayor of Hiroshima, Japan
- Archbishop John C. Wester — Archbishop of Santa Fe, United States
CONTACT:
Kihoon Lee
SPARK (Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea)
Email: abombtribunal@gmail.com
Detailed Oral Hearing Program
Three-day schedule, speakers, witnesses, and session descriptions.
Media Registration
Journalists planning to cover the Tribunal are invited to register in advance.