Byun,+HannahKWP

Interview Podcast: media type="file" key="The Korean War Interview.m4a" width="300" height="50"

Interview Translation: A: Please tell me your name, birthday, and year you were born. B: I was born on September 11, 1936 and my name is Lee jung Soon.

A: How old were you during the Korean War? B: 16 years old.

A: What were living conditions for you during the war? B: We had to run away during the war and there was barely any rice around. We were living in Dongdu-chun but one morning we heard gun shots and we had to pack our belongings and left to Junae. At Junae we met the North Korea soldiers who were there. Soldiers and dead people were just about everywhere we went. After three days we returned to Dongdu-chun, we saw a huge change in the area. The trees were all dead and the fruits that had been around when we left were all gone. The village had just become a world full of the soldiers. Living was hard and the soldiers forced the village people to do things and work. The people from Seoul all came to where I lived because there was no food in Seoul and the village was crowded with people searching for food.

A: Where were some of the places you had to move to during the war? B: On January 4th, the Chinese helped the North Koreans and together they came back to Korean and the Chinese eventually came to our village as well. We had to leave the village again and we went all the way to the Han River with our cow, our belongings and bags. But the Han River bridge fell down and we barely escaped on a boat to Yongin. We lived at Yongin for about five months. At first there were no people because everyone had run away, but a bit later the Chinese came again and we had to run away. There was no rice around the area so I had to walk around and beg for food. Life was extremely hard around this time. We went to empty abandoned houses to sleep and I had to go to the mountains to get plants to eat. We returned to my hometown during the time when the snow around us started to melt.

A: How did you feel about education during the war? B: I graduated middle school, but during the war I had to stay home and I couldn’t complete school. Education was not possible during the war.

A: How do you feel about the Korean war? B: It was just a terrible time period. This kind of war should not have happened. South and North Korea being separated is not good. It’s just bad.

A: Could you tell me an unforgettable experience that occurred during the war? B: It was when the North and South Koreans were fighting. That time airplanes were bombing every village and everyone would die from bombs. The soldiers in the airplanes would think that we were the opposing side soldiers and would aim at us with bombs. We could not go outside during the day and could only go out at night. The nickname of these planes were “Segsegee” which means that it flew by really fast and really close. When they flew by they could see the people very clearly and just shot at everyone. There were 9 neighbors of mine in one house, but one day, these people went outside during the day and put there hands up to tell them that they were no soldiers. Yet, there were mistaken as soldiers and all of them were shot. My family and I saw them all get shot. People in my village lay down dead on the grounds like they were trees that had been chopped off. They just lay there all dead. There were soldiers who walked around limping as well. The horrible things that I saw at this time is what I remember most clearly. It was like terror. Living one day was living. If I lived for one day, I would never know what would happen to me the next day. I didn’t know if I would survive the next day.

A: How do you feel about the communists? B:Overall, the North Korean communists were even worse than animals. Most animals don’t attack those who do not attack them, but communists attacked just anyone and everyone without thought. They didn’t fear killing people and just killed. When we saw them we just shivered in fear. However, the Chinese communists didn’t kill and attack people like they did.

A: How do you feel about North Koreans? B: The North Koreans live a difficult life, while we live well with plenty of food. The North Korean kids starve to death and have no money. Yet I feel very bad for them because we are both the same people but because they live in the North, they live without the luxuries that we live with. I wish that they could live as well as we did, together, as one.

A: Do you see America as a savior of the war? B: Yes, they helped greatly in the war. They aided us with basic necessities that we were lacking of. They donated clothes from America to us so that we could be clothed. They provided us with flour and rice as well. We should be very thankful to them. Now that us Koreans are living well, I think that we should help the Americans when they are in need.

A: What is your opinion of President Rhee Seungman? B: I’m not quiet sure because I was young at that time, but what I do know is that he lived a life in America because he was exiled from Korea and I feel very bad about that.

A: What is your future hope for Korea? B: The people of our country will work hard and the future of Korea is bright. The fact that we have come this far from then is a great accomplishment. I hope that things will get even better and Korea will only continue to advance towards.

A: Do you think South Korea and North Korea will be unified in the future? B: You should ask your grandfather that! Honestly, I do not know and cannot say if North Korea and South Korea will ever be unified. However, it would be good if it could be unified.

Reflection: After the interview, I finally understood that all the people during this time period were affected, whether the it was a big effect or a small one. I was put into the shoes of my grandma in a way that I had never been before. Never had I before seen my grandmother as someone who had been so involved in the Korea War. I had just seen her as my grandmother, but as I listened to her speak, I respected her even more than I had before and I was amazed at how she had survived through all of the horrors that she spoke of. I was intrigued by her stories and interviewing her with questions on the war gave me a whole new point of view. I was actually seeing it from a person who had lived through the war, rather than a textbook. It was a new way of looking at history and I really enjoyed it. I could imagine the scenes: seeing all the dead people lying around, having to run away from soldiers, starving, begging for food. It all sounded very vivid and terrifying. Through this interview, my personal feelings for the war developed, for I felt sympathy, anger, and fear as I listened. It was also interesting listening to my grandmother’s tone. As she talked about the communists, there was anger in her voice. As she talked about the North Koreans there was sympathy and sadness. As she talked about the war itself, there was a tone full of fear. It was interesting to see that in person. The interview provided experiences from the war that helped me think further. It gave me a deeper, more thorough view on life during war, and I was able to match the events with many of the stuff we had learned. It provided the opinions of a Korean who had seen the terrors of war. It made me think, "What would I have done in a situation like this?". I was deeply touched when I learned that my grandmother had seen all she had seen yet lives happily and works hard today. This interview helped me open up more to Korean history and I know that what I have learned from my grandmother will be very valuable to me and the future.

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