Daniel+Kim+KRW+Interview

Interview Date: 12/07/08
 * **Finally, interview questions, the release form, essay and analysis questions must be printed and turned in to me. **
 * Interviewee:**

My Grandfather: Name: Kim Dong-sun 김동선 Age: 79 Home: Pyeong-chon, Euiwang-si Occupation: Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Kwangsung High School, proffesor of English Awards: Two personal medals for education from Korean presidents, one from Kim Young-sam, and the other from Jun Du-hwan.

SHORT VIDEO SNIPPET: (going to upload the rest on audio due to size & duration of the video.. but this video is the very beginning of the interview, where I ask my first question.) (please make sure the volume is at/or nearly at maximum!) media type="youtube" key="r1dq8odXbCc" height="444" width="725" http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=56f498cbef&view=att&th=11e12afd1dfc9fe0&attid=0.1&disp=attd&realattid=f_fog0ty8v0&zw
 * INTERVIEW**
 * If the video doesn't work. click below to download:**

(continued from the video above) (and sorry, this has to be downloaded because the wiki is too slow) http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=56f498cbef&view=att&th=11e12d1fd4e29773&attid=0.1&disp=attd&realattid=f_fog25x090&zw
 * PART ONE:**

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=56f498cbef&view=att&th=11e12d4a0f28743d&attid=0.1&disp=attd&realattid=f_fog29rkz1&zw
 * PART TWO:**

media type="file" key="Korean War Oral Interview Summary.mp3" If this doesn't play, click to download: http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=56f498cbef&view=att&th=11e12a25bd09972b&attid=0.1&disp=attd&realattid=f_fog0bxj60&zw
 * Summary**

__OUTLINE OF THE SUMMARY:__


 * INTERVIEW QUESTIONS**

1. Please introduce to us your name, age and job. 2. How old were you when the war started out? 3. Where were you when the war first started out? 4. What happened to your family when the war began? 5. How did you get recruited into the army? 6. Where, and how did you serve in the military? 7. How did you get involved in that division of the military? 8. How did you learn English? What motivated you? 9. What were obstacles you had during the war? 10. What were the conditions in the army like during the war? 11. What was the most shocking part of the war for you? 12. Do you know any men from your troop that are still alive to this date? 현재까지 살아계신 같이 참전했던 군인분들이랑 연락을 하시나요? 13. What opinions do you have about North Korea? South Korea? 현재 가지고 계신 북한/남한에 대한 편견이나 의견을 말씀해주세요. 14. What do you think will happen if Korea reunifies? How long will this reunification process take? 남한과 북한이 통일이되면 어떻게 될것같은가요? 통일이 얼마나 오래 걸릴까요? 15. Is there anything you would like us to know about? 혹시 물어본거 이외에 더 말씀하시고 싶으신게 있나요?


 * There were some questions that were omitted, or some new ones that were randomly asked during the interview. Some questions were further elaborated for explanation during the interview. Some questions were changed along the way. All the questions above are the basic outline of the things I asked. All of the above questions except for 12~15 were asked by English.


 * ESSAY**

The significance of the interview is that it provides a direct testimony from a Korean soldier who fought in the Korean War. This interview is a primary source document, and it will help provide information for future generations who research or learn about the Korean War. The interview can’t get any more specific and down to the point about the war. My grandfather provided information about the life of being a soldier in the war, how civilians reacted/handled the war, and the information about the beginning of the war to the end.

The interview made me not only learn new information, but also realize many things about life as well. I learned that speaking English during the time was a very big thing. My grandfather might not even be alive today (and I wouldn’t here writing this) if he didn’t decide to take the English major for college. This further emphasizes how important education and communication is during times like this. Intelligence equals worth and promotion during war (and any other time in society).

Another thing I learned about the war is the reason why some civilians in the north must have hesitated to go down south. Many civilians who lived in the north had property which they did not want to give up. Perhaps during the time when the war didn’t seem so serious, or when the war didn’t break out, they could bare the communist regime. This dilemma probably held them up, eventually until it became too late.

I understood more about the hardships that people face during wars. One of it is suffering from getting separate from one’s family. Another one is what a solider suffers during the war. My grandfather came to the point where he thought he’d be glad if he came out of the war alive even if that meant getting injured or getting amputated. In addition, my grandfather stated that at the trenches it was common for a person to die within three days. Starvation was prevalent throughout all the years of the war for civilians and soldiers.

The interview provided us with a direct testimony about the Korean war, and the experience of an individual who participated in the war. The interview lets us separate ourselves from the textbook, and actually get to listen to a ‘story.’ This way of delivering information should be much more effective. Also, the interview provides a story of a personal experience. That way, the learners can better understand what was going on during the war because they can actually relate or respond to the experience. In general, the interview holds historical significance and is a learning tool for everyone.


 * ANALYSIS QUESTIONS**

1. How does your interviewee's testimony fit in with what you have learned about the experience of civilians? The testimonies my grandfather stated exactly corresponds to the materials we learned. For example, the way how people were stopped from crossing the Han River. His statement about how UN & Korean military got pushed back because of the Chinese volunteer army also supports everything we learned. Because of the Chinese intervention, my grandfather’s family was separated, and which the separation among families is a big problem in Korea. Another point he made out was about the black list the North Koreans have (with his name in it), and which may harm his family if he tries to meet them. It proves the Communist regime that is prevalent in the North. Whoever is related to a person who harms their regime, also gets hurt. One of the most important things that he stated was about the comparison of life between the North and the South. He made analogies such as “Heaven and Hell” and “Land and Sky.” Hell would the North, and heaven would be the South. It is unimaginable how the lives in the North are different from the South.

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? My grandfather probably learned how important and privileged a life is. As see saw many grotesque scenes of injuries, and many deaths during the war, he must know how being alive is the most fortunate thing. He also grew up in a wealthy family when he was a young kid. However, he got separated from his parents when he came down to Seoul and then the war broke out. Since then, until the end of the war, he lived through poverty and starvation. The only way to get fed was probably to join the army (and plus he hated the communist regime, which is one of the reasons why he joined the army). After experiencing the harsh conditions of war, he must have got stronger as a person. He should be able to go through anything that can happen in a lifetime.

3. Hypothesize or explain how you interviewee was able to stay out of danger. My grandfather wasn’t able to stay out of danger. He volunteered for the army in the South. However, in the interview he explains about how he became a supply officer. As no one at the time could speak English except a few, he had the offer to communicate with the Americans to receive supplies from them. As his role was vital, he stayed out of battles once he became a supply officer. That way, he got to stay away from the trenches.

Will explain what's going on at class.
 * RELEASE FORM:**