NAGASAKI — A local court has ordered the municipal government of this atomic-bombed city to issue a certificate of hibakusha, or an A-bomb survivor, to a South Korean man who claimed he was exposed to radiation during the attack.

In its ruling on July 9, the Nagasaki District Court revoked the municipal government’s decision not to issue such a certificate to Kim Sung-nam, 68.

“What the plaintiff heard from his (deceased) parents about their experience of the bombing has nothing inconsistent or irrational, and can be trusted,” Presiding Judge Hiroshi Ida said in handing down the ruling.

Three South Korean hibakusha, including Kim, have filed a suit with the court demanding that the city issue a certificate of hibakusha without witnesses who can testify that they were exposed to radiation in the Aug. 9, 1945 attack. Kim is the second person to win such a suit.

Those who have certificates of hibakusha are entitled to special public assistance to cover their medical expenses.

Kim, now living in South Korea, was born in the Hashiguchimachi district of Nagasaki, about 700 meters away from ground zero, according to his family registry. He was 8 months old at the time of the atomic bombing of the city.

“I heard from my parents that I was exposed to radiation at the home where I was born with my mother and was crushed under the collapsed home,” Kim told the court during the trial.

The municipal government argued against Kim’s claim saying, “Almost all people who were staying around Mr. Kim’s home died from either the explosion or fire. It was impossible that Mr. Kim survived if he actually stayed there at the time of the attack.”

Presiding Judge Ida sided with the plaintiff, however, pointing out that several people who were staying outdoors in Kim’s neighborhood at the time of the bombing survived and received certificates of hibakusha.