[INTERVIEW] From Korean language classes to disaster relief, one woman's mission in Fukushima

Chung Hyun-suk, a Korean living in Fukushima, shifted from cultural exchange to disaster relief after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami devastated northeastern Japan. She used Fukukan Net’s local networks to prepare Korean meals for evacuees and distribute Korean entertainment content to survivors. The relief work led her organization to focus on community welfare in 2022, particularly support for people with disabilities. Chung says she now identifies as a Fukushima person and hopes to improve local support while countering negative perceptions of the region.

Chung founded Fukukan Net in 2001 to promote cultural exchange between Korea and Japan, and its Korean-language program eventually attracted about 400 students at its peak.

The Fukushima Prefectural Government said the disaster killed 4,182 people in the region, destroyed about 15,600 homes and partially damaged another 87,368.

The earthquake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster, releasing radioactive material and forcing about 165,000 people to evacuate.

About 38 local women initially prepared food for as many as 2,500 people at a time over several months.

Chung said she encountered people with disabilities while delivering lunch boxes, prompting Fukukan Net’s shift toward welfare work in 2022.

Published Oct 29, 2026 12:28 pm KST

Updated Oct 29, 2026 2:20 pm KST

Founder of Korean nonprofit finds her place in Japan through community sharing

Chung Hyun-suk, founded Fukukan Net, a Fukushima-based nonprofit organization promoting cultural exchanges between Korea and Japan, poses during an interview with The Korea Times in Fukushima, Japan, Sept. 28. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-won

FUKUSHIMA, Japan — For years, Chung Hyun-suk, a Korean living in Fukushima, Japan, devoted herself to teaching Korean language and culture, building ties between local residents and her home country. But the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in 2011 transformed her mission from cultural exchange to disaster relief and, eventually, community welfare.

Chung, 65, founded Fukukan Net , a nonprofit organization promoting cultural exchanges, between Korea and Japan in 2001, when opportunities to learn Korean language and culture in Fukushima were limited.

The organization thrived amid the first Korean wave in the early 2000s, buoyed by the popularity of the hit drama "Winter Sonata." At its peak, its Korean language program attracted some 400 students, while Chung continued funding much of its activities out of her own pocket alongside her work as a university lecturer.

But everything changed on March 11, 2011, when the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami devastated the region.

"Every day, refugees flooded in and people were dying from the tsunami, including students I taught. I had to do something for the people there because I was still alive," Chung recalled during a Sept. 28 interview with The Korea Times.

According to the Fukushima Prefectural Government, the disaster claimed 4,182 lives in the region, while destroying some 15,600 homes and partially damaging another 87,368. The earthquake and tsunami also triggered a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, releasing radioactive material into the environment and forcing some 165,000 people to evacuate.

Volunteers with Fukukan Net prepare meals for survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake in Fukushima in this 2012 file photo. Courtesy of Fukukan Net

Although Chung had no experience in disaster relief, she drew on the networks and resources she had built through years of cultural exchange to help survivors.

“I learned that evacuees were getting tired of surviving on just bread and onigiri (Japanese rice balls) day after day. That's when I realized exactly what our organization could do the best — cook fresh Korean food and bring it straight to the shelters,” she said.

At first, some 38 local women gathered to prepare the food for as many as 2,500 people at a time over several months.

"Mothers have unimaginable power when it comes to protecting and raising children. The shelters don’t accept a small amount of food due to fairness in distribution,” Chung said.

“So we worked through the entire night to prepare food for all. For example, we chopped 700 kilograms of cucumber kimchi overnight. Frying Korean green onion pancakes, or 'pajeon,' in the summer heat was exhausting … But that was the one thing we could do.”

As word quickly spread about the hot Korean meals, requests began pouring in from evacuation shelters across the region.

While Chung distributed food, she witnessed traumatized survivors — having lost loved ones — staring blankly at television screens in the shelters, stripped of hope. She soon realized that food alone could not address the emotional toll of the disaster.

"We began distributing K-pop and Korean drama content to the survivors. We started handing them out to the survivors who had lost their families in the tsunami. They found so much comfort in watching them," Chung said.

Volunteers with Fukukan Net prepare Korean food for a cultural exchange program in Fukushima, Japan, Sept. 28. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-won

The relief work also exposed Chung to another challenge facing the community.

While delivering Korean lunch boxes to disaster-stricken areas, she encountered people with disabilities, a widely marginalized group that was particularly vulnerable in the wake of the catastrophe. This led her to pivot the organization’s direction into welfare in 2022.

"When a major disaster strikes, your eyes are drawn to the places that get overlooked — the communities that receive the least help. Seeing the gaps in the welfare system of Japan, a rich, developed country, at such critical moments made me question things,” she said.

Looking back, Chung said the trust she developed with Fukushima residents had been the driving force behind her continued work. Initially, however, that trust was far from guaranteed.

"They placed their most trust in a foreign woman working on her own. At first, most people questioned why a Korean was getting involved in local relief efforts," she said.

"To overcome that skepticism, I took on every single task I could, doing whatever needed to be done. In the end, it was the local residents who stood by me and gave me the strength to keep going."

Chung now hopes to continue improving support for people with disabilities while helping counter the negative perceptions of Fukushima that have persisted since the nuclear disaster.

After more than two decades of living and working in the region, she said her sense of belonging has come to transcend nationality.

"I now find myself as a Fukushima person. It matters so much more to me than whether someone is Japanese or Korean. Rather than obsessing over nationality, I believe true value lies in doing whatever you can for the place where you live and the community you love," she said.

居住在福岛的韩国人郑贤淑（音译）在2011年地震和海啸重创日本东北部后，从文化交流转向了灾后救援。她利用福馆网的本地网络，为灾民准备韩式餐食，并向幸存者分发韩国娱乐内容。救援工作促使她的组织在2022年将重心转向社区福利，特别是为残疾人士提供支持。郑贤淑表示，她现在认同自己是福岛人，并希望在改善当地支持的同时，消除人们对该地区的负面看法。

郑志刚于 2001 年创办了福馆网，旨在促进韩国和日本之间的文化交流，其韩语课程鼎盛时期吸引了约 400 名学生。

福岛县政府表示，这场灾难在该地区造成 4182 人死亡，约 15600 栋房屋被毁，另有 87368 栋房屋部分受损。

地震和海啸引发了福岛第一核电站事故，释放出放射性物质，迫使约 16.5 万人撤离。

最初，约有 38 名当地妇女在几个月的时间里，一次为多达 2500 人准备食物。

钟女士表示，她在送午餐盒的过程中遇到了残疾人士，这促使福馆网在 2022 年转向福利工作。

发布于2026年10月29日下午12:28（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月29日下午2:20（韩国标准时间）

韩国非营利组织创始人通过社区分享在日本找到了自己的位置

9月28日，总部位于福岛的非营利组织“福馆网”（Fukukan Net）创始人郑贤硕在日本福岛接受《韩国时报》采访。该组织致力于促进韩日文化交流。（《韩国时报》朴智媛摄）

日本福岛——多年来，居住在日本福岛的韩国人郑贤淑（音译）一直致力于教授韩国语言和文化，努力促进当地居民与祖国之间的联系。然而，2011年袭击日本东北部的毁灭性地震和海啸，改变了她的使命，从文化交流转向灾后救援，最终投身于社区福利事业。

65岁的郑先生于2001年创立了福馆网，这是一个促进韩国和日本之间文化交流的非营利组织。当时，在福岛学习韩国语言和文化的机会有限。

该组织在2000年代初的第一波韩流中蓬勃发展，这得益于热门电视剧《冬季恋歌》的流行。鼎盛时期，其韩语课程吸引了约400名学生，而郑女士在担任大学讲师的同时，也继续自掏腰包资助该组织的大部分活动。

但2011年3月11日，东日本大地震和海啸摧毁了该地区，一切都发生了改变。

“每天都有难民涌入，海啸夺走了许多人​​的生命，其中也包括我教过的学生。因为我还活着，所以我必须为那里的人们做些什么，”郑在9月28日接受《韩国时报》采访时回忆道。

据福岛县政府称，这场灾难在该地区造成4182人死亡，约15600栋房屋被毁，另有87368栋房屋部分受损。地震和海啸还引发了福岛第一核电站的核灾难，放射性物质泄漏到环境中，迫使约16.5万人撤离。

这张摄于2012年的资料照片显示，福馆网的志愿者们正在为福岛东日本大地震的幸存者准备餐食。照片由福馆网提供。

尽管钟女士没有灾难救援方面的经验，但她利用自己多年文化交流所建立的人脉和资源来帮助幸存者。

“我了解到，撤离人员每天都只能吃面包和饭团，他们已经厌倦了。那时我才意识到，我们组织最擅长的是什么——烹饪新鲜的韩国料理，直接送到避难所，”她说。

起初，大约有 38 名当地妇女聚集在一起，在几个月的时间里，一次为多达 2500 人准备食物。

“母亲在保护和养育孩子方面拥有难以想象的力量。出于分配公平的考虑，收容所不接受少量食物捐赠，”钟女士说。

“所以我们通宵达旦地准备大家的食物。比如，我们连夜切了700公斤黄瓜泡菜。在炎炎夏日煎韩国葱饼（pajeon）真是累人……但这是我们唯一能做的事。”

随着热腾腾的韩国料理的消息迅速传开，该地区各地的避难所纷纷发出请求。

钟女士在分发食物时，目睹了许多遭受创伤的幸存者——他们失去了亲人——在避难所里茫然地盯着电视屏幕，绝望至极。她很快意识到，单靠食物无法抚平灾难带来的情感创伤。

“我们开始向幸存者分发韩流音乐和韩剧。我们把这些分发给在海啸中失去家人的幸存者。他们从观看这些内容中得到了很大的安慰，”郑先生说。

9月28日，福馆网的志愿者们在日本福岛为文化交流项目准备韩国美食。（韩国时报 朴智媛 摄）

救援工作也让钟意识到社区面临的另一个挑战。

在向灾区运送韩式便当的过程中，她遇到了残疾人士——一个在灾难中尤其脆弱、长期处于边缘化的群体。这促使她在2022年将组织的运作方向转向福利领域。

“当重大灾难发生时，人们的目光往往会被那些被忽视的地方——那些获得援助最少的社区——所吸引。在如此危急的时刻，看到日本这样一个富裕发达国家的福利体系存在如此大的漏洞，让我开始质疑很多事情，”她说道。

回顾往事，钟女士表示，她与福岛居民建立的信任是她坚持工作的动力。然而，最初这种信任远非稳固。

“他们最信任的是一位独自工作的外国女性。起初，大多数人都质疑为什么一个韩国人会参与当地的救援工作，”她说。

“为了克服这种怀疑，我承担了我能做的每一项任务，尽我所能去做任何需要做的事情。最终，是当地居民的支持和鼓励给了我坚持下去的力量。”

钟先生现在希望继续改善对残疾人的支持，同时帮助消除自核灾难以来一直存在的对福岛的负面看法。

在该地区生活和工作了二十多年后，她说她的归属感已经超越了国籍。

“我现在觉得自己是福岛人。对我来说，一个人是日本人还是韩国人远比这重要得多。与其执着于国籍，我认为真正的价值在于尽你所能为你居住的地方和你所爱的社区做出贡献，”她说。