Nathan+Cho+KRW+Interview

=**Korean War**=

=**Interview Questions:**=

성함이 어떻게 되십니까?
 * 1. What is your name?

2. How old are you now? 현재 연세가 어떻게 되세요?

3. Where did you live? 그당시 어디 살고 계셨나요?

4. Do you have siblings? 형,누나, 동생이 있으시나요?

5. Before the Korean War, what did you do? 남북한전쟁이 일아나기전 직업이 무엇이셨습니까?

6. When you didn’t recognize the war, what was strange for you in general life? 전쟁이 왔다는걸 몰랐을떄, 뭔가가 수상하다는걸 느끼셨나요?

7. When did you recognize the war has come? 전쟁이 왔다는 직감은 언제 느끼셨나요?

8. During the time of Korean War, did you have any idea about the war, such as the causes? 그 당시에 전쟁에 대해 아는 지식이 있었나요? 예를 들어 전쟁이 일어난 이유?

9. How did your family react to this war? 할머니 가족분들은 이 전쟁에 어떻게 대쳐하셨나요?

10. What were the most crucial scenes for you that you can’t forget it? 남북전쟁당시에 머리속에 아직도 잔인한 장면이 가장 생생한것이 무엇인가요?

11. How did the war affect your daily life? 남북전쟁이 당신의 삶에 어떤 영향을 주었나요?

12. Are there any memorable events you would like to tell me about? 남북전쟁당시에 가장 기억에 남는 장면이나 사건들?**

**Podcast**
media type="file" key="korean war.m4a"

=**Release Form**=

**Summary**
I interviewed my maternal grandmother. She has two names. Her family called her 안철순, but the name that was registered on the social security number was 안만순. During the Korean War, She was 7th grade, middle school student and she was living in 아현동 which is in Seoul. She had one big brother one younger sister and one younger brother. I asked her many questions and I will try to briefly summarize what she answered to my interview questions.

At night, around 7 to 9 pm, she heard the shot sound from outside. However, she just went to sleep. Next day, in morning, when she woke up, she heard many loud and weird sounds from outside that were coming closer to her house. So she went outside to check. Then she figured it out that it was the sound from the tank. North Korean army occupied the area. When she saw those tanks and the soldiers passing by her house, she started to realize that the war has come. During the Korean War, she had no idea about the war, such as about the different ideals between South and North Korea, because she was too young. Before the General Macarthur landed in 인천, her family stayed in their house because outside was too dangerous because of the war. When, General Macarthur landed in 인천 and drove North Korea back almost until the end, China and North Korea started to cooperate together and drive U.S and South Korea back. So, when the South was retreating, her family all immigrated with them too.

The most crucial scenes for her that she can’t forget were the fighting scene between North and South. There was a railroad near to her house and South and North fought on this railroad. She said that after the war, there were so many dead bodies on the railroad and everywhere else. Later, the soldiers ordered nor mal citizens to piled the dead bodies up in this one high school called 한성고등학교 and also throw those dead bodies into the Han river in 마포. Her most memorable event was during when her family was immigrating. She saw all kinds of people. Woman who was pregnant and bearing a child on the train and people who are pushing and killing each other to get on the train for the survival. The war made her life miserable because there was lack of food. Also, at the end of the interview, I asked her extra questions, if she met her family after the war was over and she told she met all his family at her home. Also, her big brother safely came from the war.

=**Analysis Questions:**=

1) How does your interviewee's testimony fit in with what you have learned about the experience of civilians?

My interview's testimony perfectly fit in what I have learned about the experience of civilians. Before the interview, I thought I was going to get the whole different answer that is going to make me feel so realistic. However, after I heard it, it was the same story that I learned over the course of history class. I was not really surprised when each time she answered my questions with her experience. The only thing that made me surprised was that she actually saw those cruel things.

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?

Living at the place where the war is going on had extremely affected their life at the time. I think it was like a prison where you cannot do anything freely. My grandmother's family had to stay inside their house because they were afraid to go out in the war. Also, they had to move from place to place to avoid from the war. Therefore, the children did not have time to be educated, except, being in the historical event. Furthermore, my grandmother had to experience people even trying to kill each other to survive rather than helping each other. Maybe this selfishness in human nature had affected her life too.

3) Hypothesize or explain how you interviewee was able to stay out of danger.

According to what I heard from my grandmother, she was able to stay out of danger by staying at home most of the time and running away at the right time with South Korean soldiers. For example, she immigrated when the General MacArthur was retreating because the Chinese army supported North Korea.

Concluding Essay
Analyze the historical significance of your interview, how has the interview added to your understanding of the war, and how you think it will help us better understand the Korean War in a 1.5 page essay.