Kang,+Dae-yun+(Kevin)BlockA

=My Great-Grandmother's Tragic Life=



*This pic was originally right side up but the wiki keeps rotating it -_-



__Picture of Source__ The first picture on the right is an old picture of my great grandmother, who had lived through the difficult periods of the Japanese annexation and the Korean War. The second picture, the picture on the right, lists numerous names of people who have died in the past due to wars, including my great-uncle(highlighted in yellow).

__Brief description of source__ Judging by the color of the picture, the first picture seems to be from around the 1960-70s. The lady in the first picture is my great-grandmother. In the second photo, there are just a long list of names, where all of them were men in the Northern-Cheolla Police Department who died.

__Source Type__ Since the first picture was actually from great-grandmother herself, the first picture can act as a primary source. However, since I was the photographer to the second picture, the second picture is a secondary source, or information from someone that did not experience the actual event.

__ Short explanation of the source’s significance to the event __

Even though the first picture maybe just a simple identification picture of my great-grandmother, I believe it to have greater significance. Since my grandmother had lost both her son and husband, she would have worked hard to make The second picture, the one with the zeolite of many men, was taken by me. Even though I had never known my great-uncle personally, I think that his life impacted me greatly.

Life and Work of Korean War Widows during the 1950s - written source - This secondary source writing is a paper on the Korean War Widows, and their ways of life. The main point of the paper can be summed up to one of the quotations from the book, " Although the widows spent most of their lives as the economic “pillars” of their respective families, their lives did not amount to those of independent, “modern women,” an ideal presented by discourse in contemporary journals. "(Kim 106) My great grandmother, just like other Korean war widows, had to work herself for the living of her family. However she had never been "independent" of her choices, and led a tragic life.

=**__ Interview __**=

T his interview was done with my uncle(my father's brother), who explains the history of my family at the times of 1940-70s. (My uncle was born in 1963, but he tells the information he was passed on by his grandmother(my great-grandmother).)

//*This interview has been translated from Korean to English.//

Me: Can you tell me the background information of your family before the war?

Uncle: At the time of the Korean war, my maternal family lived in Namwon, Cheolla Province. My grandfather had passed away after being sent to work at Japan, and my grandmother had raised three children herself.

Me: Did any family member die due to the war?

Uncle: My uncle, the eldest child of my grandmother had been a police at the time of the war. As the North Korean army pushed towards the South, the police forces scattered, including my uncle, who hid at his mother's house. However, the North Koreans were able to track him down, taking him with them. Few days before their departure from Namwon, the North Koreans took all their "prisoners" to a nearby valley, where they massacred all of them. This is where my uncle died.

Me: Did anyone retrieve his body?

Uncle: My grandmother had to retrieve her son's dead body.

Me: Did your grandmother receive any compensations for the death of her only and eldest son?

Uncle: Yes. Each month, she received a small amount of money for her living. Each time she went to receive the money, she would wear a sobok(소복-a funeral dress) in remembering the death of her son.

Written Recount of the events. - All my ancestors on the paternal side of the family had lived and was from Namwon, Cheolla Province. My great-grandmother, had been born and raised in Namwon as well. However, compared to other family members, she led a depressing life. First of all, when she was in her 30s, her husband had died, leaving her as a widow, as well as a mother to 3 kids. Even worse, within 10 years, my great-grandmother had lost her 22-year old eldest son due to the war, her second daughter had married, leaving her with only one 11-year old daughter(this is my grandmother). Despite such difficulties, my great-grandmother took the role as the "economic pillar"(Kim 106) of the family, and therefore I am here today.

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