Emily+Kim+KRW+Interview

=**Korean War**  = =**Interview** With My Grandfather =



Information about the Interviewee
Relation: Mom's side grandfather Name: Sohn Dong-hun (손동헌) Age: 78 (born in 1930, 20 years old when war broke out) Occupation: Retired professor in pharmacy

**Interview Questions **
1. How old were you when the war took place, what kind of family were you from, and where did you live? 2. How were you able to continue your studies during the war time? 3. Were you aware of what was really going on when the war took place? 4. What did you think about the Americans? North Koreans? Chinese? Sungman Rhee? 5. Did you have any ideas of what was going on in other places at the time? How did you have access to such information? 6. What was life like in the North for you during the war? 7. Was there a drastic change in the lifestyle after the war began? How so? 8. How did you stay out of dangers and troubles? 9. Are there any stories about a specific time when you were in great danger? 10. What was the most difficult part of life during this time? 11. How was life different for boys than girls? 12. Did you have to face any divisions within the family? 13. What was your biggest wish during the time period? How did it change as the war came to an end?

**Release Form **
 "In view of the historical value of this oral history interview, I, 손동헌 (Dong-hun Sohn), knowingly and voluntarily permit Emily Kim, Asian Studies Class, Korea International School, the full use of this information for educational purposes."

Podcast of Interview
 __The actual Interview__ (my interview was not so much in a question-answer format, because my grandfather loves talking and just had too much to say.....) media type="file" key="EK interview pt. 1 2.mp3"  My grandfather explaining __more about his life during the war__ based on poems written about him (this is still relevant to what we studied, and will give you a better idea of what life was like for the North Korean refugees in South) media type="file" key="EK interview pt. 2.mp3"

Excerpts from __poems__ about my grandfather's story during the war written by one of his disciples (It explains the details of how he survived through the dangers, and what he felt during the time - will give you a good picture)

**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Summary **
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> media type="file" key="korean war interview ek.mp3"

(For the convenience of writing, the summary is written in first person from my grandfather’s point of view, and referred to as “I.”)

I had graduated from high school when the war broke out. I was 20 years old, and was working at a research center in the North. On June 24th of 1950, ten of my friends and friends’ friends were called to gather in Pyongyang, and for a reason. The next day, they would stand at the very first line of the aggression to South. So, even though some people say that the South started the aggression first, according to my account, the North had definitely attacked first.

Back at home, life wasn’t too dangerous until the Chinese started coming down from the North. We felt threatened and worried and decided that it would be best to flee the place for a couple months or so until situations got better. There were rumors then about how if we left for just three months and then came back, the North Korean army would have defeated the enemy forces. So the three men of the house, my father, my uncle, and myself decided to leave and flee to the South. The rest of the family, the women and the younger siblings, stayed home because they didn’t have to worry about the threat of the North Korean army forcefully drafting them into the war. So us three left, but because there were so many people trying to evacuate the place like us, the streets were literally packed and we got separated. I was now on my own, but luckily, I used help from the South Korean allies. The UN provided trains to flee to the south, and then General MacArthur, who had landed in Incheon, gave orders to take the North Korean refugees on his ship and to Kuh-je-do. The trip took several days and conditions were horrible because we had to sit on the deck in the cold ocean nights, and eight people actually died suffering from hunger, cold, and seasickness. I managed to safely reach the city of Kuh-je-do and thankfully the South Korean citizens there helped us immensely. They gave us shelter and food and we couldn’t have survived without them. That is why those North Korean people from that time collected money to build a tower commemorating the arrival at Kuh-je-do - I contributed also.

I had nothing when I reached South Korea. But even if I had to starve, I felt that I needed to study, for the good of my future. That was the spirit of Buk-cheong, where I am originally from. I took the entrance exam to Chungang University, and got in. I sold some of my clothes and the little valuables I had carried with me to pay for the tuition. When I ran out of that, I had to find a job as a source of money. I had a friend who was majoring in art. He and I partnered up, and I would go into the army base to take orders for portraits of the soldiers. When my friend drew their pictures, I carried them to the soldiers and got $2, which I then split with the artist. This way, I gained money to pay for school, and many times I had to give up eating for education. My opinions about Seungman Rhee are quite positive, as most older generations view him. He was pretty much the founder of the new South Korea, succeeding in many developments for the country. Although some people may say that he killed many people and was a bad guy, I must say that he inevitably helped the nation rise up.

My life has improved for the better and in the end it was a better choice for me to come down to the South, because North Korea is just not bearable to live in. The complete dictatorship of Kim Il-sung - and now Kim Jung-il - takes away all liberty of the citizens. Even before the war started, the place was horrible to live in. You didn’t know who to trust, and you couldn’t even tell your true feelings to your family members. There were disputes within the family because the father would support communism and the son wouldn’t.

My biggest wish during the war, and until now is that Korea would be reunified. Even if it cannot be, or even if it takes too long to become one again, I would really like to visit my old hometown again and visit my mother’s grave. I want to help my sisters and other family members that are still up there, because they have such difficult lives, but the North has closed its doors firmly and would not let us enter. I believe reunification will happen some day, it’s just that it may take a while. It is a difficult matter.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Analyze the historical significance of your interview; how has the interview added to your understanding of the war, and how do you think it will help us better understand the Korean War?


 * Compromising History**

Hearing about the Korean War from an actual first-hand witness was much more intriguing and captivating than reading textbooks, for now the war really seemed real. Nevertheless, it was fascinating to see the personal stories correspond with what I have actually learned about the history in class. There were many surprising parts to my grandfather’s stories that I never expected, such as that he knew about the North being the first one to attack South Korea. I had learned that, because of the false propaganda and brainwashing in North Korea under the communist government, most North Korean citizens have wrong ideas about what actually happened in the war. However, my grandfather knew the real situation because he had seen the evidence right in front of him. This first-hand account would help clear up any controversies that remain until today. This story also helped me to realize that not all people were deceived of the real situation in North Korea, and that there are always exceptions to everything, even in history, even during war.

Another surprise was the fact that my grandfather had a good impression of the Americans. In fact, it wasn’t just a “good impression,” he was very thankful that the American army helped him out. This contrasts to the story, Still Life with Rice, because in that book, the main character expressed very negative feelings about the Americans, calling them “barbarians.” This again just proves that everything depends on each person’s own perspective, and the perspective depends on what each individual has gone through. For my grandfather’s case, General MacArthur and his troop had done him a huge favor by helping him get all the way to South Korea, and this memory impacted his overall view on the Americans, leaving him with a lasting good impression.

In class, we never really got to discuss about life in North or South Korea before the war, but my grandfather was able to tell me about what life was like in North Korea before the war broke out. He actually said with his own words that North Korea is “not livable,” for you never know who to trust, and are suppressed under the strict government all the time, not to mention that you are, for the most part, deceived by the government about the truth. I was quite surprised that life even before the war was very tough in North Korea, and came to the thought of how technically for my grandfather, life had changed for the better since his fleeing to the South, except for the fact that he is separated from his beloved family. This would be true for many other North Korean refugees who came to South during the war. One desperate decision for survival during war would change their fate forever.

From the interview, I could get a sense of what my grandfather thought about the different belligerents of the war, without even asking direct questions. When he talked about the Chinese attack, I could tell that he had very negative feelings about the Chinese. His word choices explained that he was not so fond of the Chinese - at least, those who had come into North Korea during that time. I was curious of what North Koreans thought of the Chinese, and this piece of information added to my knowledge. Although the governments were of the same type, to the citizens, an army was merely a threat. When talking about General MacArthur and the American forces, however, my grandfather seemed to be much more positive, expressing his thankfulness, as mentioned before. My grandfather also firmly believed that General MacArthur and his forces was key in regaining the North-occupied lands in South Korea and making so much progress. As ironic as it was, it seemed as though my grandfather was actually happy about the South’s progress despite his coming from North originally. When asked about President Seungman Rhee, my grandfather again expressed a feeling of gratitude. Contrary to what most younger generations think, my grandfather had believed that Seungman Rhee acted as a sort of a “George Washington” of Korea. He was the one that revived Korea and succeeded in so much development, according to my grandfather.

Through this interview, I once again felt that history truly varies for every different viewpoint. History is made up of the different influences that each person gets as he or she grows up, and the impressions that the person has from events in the world. We must look at all the different points of view, and try to compromise what may be closest to actual history.

The interview gave me an opportunity to really take a closer look at the Korean War, and the feelings that the citizens actually felt during the time. Although memorizing facts and dates are important, I believe it is just as important to understand the different feelings and impacts that historical events had on people, when studying history.

**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Analysis Questions **
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 1) How does your interviewee's testimony fit in with what you have learned about the experience of civilians? The story Still Life with Rice explained the immense population trying to evacuate dangerous cities. My grandfather’s experience proves this to be definitely true. He said that when he, his father, and his uncle went outside the house after deciding that they should flee the place, they were amazed by the massive crowd who apparently all decided on the same. Waves of people forced the three men to separate, and my grandfather was forced to become on his own, responsible for his own safety from then on. My grandfather also told me that after reaching South, he tried to go up to Pusan, but could not do so, because the American forces controlled people from fleeing into the city. Too many people were crowding in and distracting the actual armies who had to be ready for war. We learned in class about how civilians suffered because the government or the police wouldn’t let people flee.

2) Using your background knowledge try to contextualize their testimony. How do you think major events of the war affected their life at the time? One of the major events that tremendously impacted my grandfather’s life was MacArthur’s landing in Incheon. Not only did the American force help drive out the North Korean forces, but because of this army general and his ships’ arrival, my grandfather found the chance to flee directly down to South, aboard an American ship. This would be a true turning point in life, for he would never be able to go back to his home again. My grandfather’s testimony about the North starting the war on June 25th is proved true according to my background knowledge learned in class. The North did start the aggression, contrary to what the North Korean government claimed, sand what Hongyoung from Still Life with Rice believed at first.

3) Hypothesize or explain how you interviewee was able to stay out of danger. My grandfather, originally living in the North, fled to the South with his father and uncle, worried that the North Korean armies would forcefully draft them. They planned on leaving the house for just around three months or so and then coming back, not knowing that they would never be able to revisit their homes. However, fleeing to the South did keep them out of danger and improved their life in the end, for they got to enjoy the comfort and liberty that the North Koreans are still deprived of until this day. My grandfather says that he is very thankful for General MacArthur, for he is who allowed the many fleeing North Korean refugees to get on board the ship and transported them to the South, under Pusan. Without MacArthur’s kindness, he says, he would not have been able to safely flee the North. But on top of anything, something that really helped him survive safely through the war would be pure luck. He was very fortunate in that he found the opportunities to take him to safer places, and that he somehow found ways to earn money during the harsh times.