The parents of a South Korean student who died in January while trying to rescue a man who fell onto the tracks at a train station in Tokyo said on Monday they will use donations received in the name of their son for scholarships.
Lee Song Dae and Shin Yoon Chan, the parents of Lee Su Hyon, 26, who was studying in Japan, said in separate meetings with Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Foreign Minister Yohei Kono that they are considering setting up a scholarship using the funds, government officials said.
In a meeting at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, Mori told the parents that their son carried out an honorable act, the officials said.
In a meeting earlier at the Foreign Ministry, the parents thanked Kono and the Japanese people for their warm thoughts toward their son, adding that many Japanese have come to visit his grave in Pusan, according to the officials.
Kono, who praised Lee Su Hyon for his courageous and noble act, said the Japanese people will never forget their feelings of gratitude toward him, the officials said.
On Jan. 26, Lee and Shiro Sekine, a 47-year-old photographer from Yokohama, jumped onto the tracks at Shin-Okubo Station in an attempt to rescue Seiko Sakamoto, a 37-year-old plasterer, who had fallen onto the tracks during the evening rush hour.
The three, all strangers to each other, were killed by an oncoming train.