Dongju+Lee+KRW+Interview

=**Korean War Interview** =

**Interview**
media type="file" key="Korean War Interview DL AsianA.mp3"

 **Release Form**
In view of the historical value of this interview I, Seyoung Lee (이세용), knowingly and willingly permit Dongju Lee/Asian Studies A/Korea International School, the full use of any information/insight provided, for educational purposes.

As the interviewer I, Dongju Lee, agree only to use this information for education purposes, and to confirm any other purposes with the interviewer.

Date Dec 07, 2008.

**Interview Questions**
1. Please introduce yourself. Name, age, how old you were when the war started, what was your job at the time of the war, what is your family background, which side of korea did you live in?

2. What was Korea like, before the war started?

3. What do you remember of wartime korea?

4. What do you think was the cause of the war?

5. What was your reaction to the start of the war?

6. How was your daily life changed during the war, and how is it different since the war has ended?

7. What was your role in the war? Were you part of the military or did you retreat to safety with your family?

8. How do you feel about the American and UN involvement in the war? Should they have stayed out? Should they have done more?

9. How were your goals or ambitions changed because of the war?

10. What is your most distinct memory of the war/what made a lasting impression on you?

11. What are your feelings towards the North Koreans?

12. Do you think the unification of the Koreas is likely? What is your opinion on unification?

**Summary of interview**
media type="file" key="Korean War Interview Summary DL AsianA.mp3"

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

Like other resources have said, life for civilians was very rough. My grandfather says that he lost one family member while retreating to safety, as Seoul was taken. His other family members had to walk south because there wasnt enough room on the trains. He himself had a place reserved for him on a train (because he was part of the military), but when he found it to be full of civilians he had to ride in the storage car.

During the war there werent enough supplies for the soldiers, as well as a shortage of people for the military. One memorable thing my grandfather said was that they had to start pulling people off the streets to join the military, and in the case of drivers for tanks and ambulances, they mass recruited taxi drivers. Civilians suffered the most because they were always hungry and never sure if they were safe, because the front-lines constantly changed, and the people weren't informed about these changes.

 **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?**

The major events of the war made people see life 'day to day' instead of long term. My grandfather said that one of the main reasons he joined the military was because he felt that whatever he did, the war made him see things in a 'life or death' perspective, so he though that he might as well do some good.

Major events of the war affected people because their life depended on staying as far away from the conflict as possible. One of the reasons so many people fled from Seoul after the chinese joined the conflict was because they were afraid of being stuck in the city after the North had taken over.

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

My grandfather was able to stay out of the war because he was part of the military. While this might have put him in more danger, he was part of the medical administration. He was occasionally sent to the front lines to collect the wounded and drive back with them in an ambulance, but for the most part he remained at the military hospital a reasonable distance from actual fighting. Because of this he was able to avoid trouble from conflicting sides because the amount of authority he had (unlike many of the civilians, who were not informed of what was going on) and this authority sometimes afforded him treatment that saved his life (having a place reserved on the train out of Seoul, instead of having to walk).

 **Essay**

 * How has the interview added to your understanding of the war? How do you think it will help us better understand the Korean War?**

My grandfather was directly affected by the war, and because of his personal account of the Korean War i was able to add much to my understanding of the war. While 'Still Life With Rice' showed what life was like for a North Korea refugee, my grandfather was able to describe what life was like for South Korean soldiers and civilians fleeing from Seoul.

My grandfather enlisted in the military when he was 20, during his first year of college at Seoul National University. Because he had been studying veterinary medicine, he became a medical administrator. His rob was a risky one, and he spent much of the war near the front lines of battle. He says that he became so accustomed to the sounds of fighting, that he could differentiate between the sounds of normal gunfire, cannon fire, and airplane attacks. My Grandfather told me that at one point he had to threaten soldiers at gunpoint, because they threatened to overwhelm the ambulance with their numbers. In one case, he went against military orders, and went out of his way to save as many people as possible. After the war ended he was recognized for his courageous action, though he was not officially awarded until 2006.

From this interview i was able to learn that people began to see things from a 'life or death' perspective. My grandfather had planned to graduate and become a veterinarian, but because of the war he could not see any long-term future. Life was lived on a day-to-day basis. People were too concerned with staying out of trouble and finding food to worry about an education, and it was only 2 years after the war that my grandfather was able to resume his education.

I think that this interview can help us better understand that in wartime the foremost thought on everyone's mind is survival. One of the main reasons my grandfather joined the military was because he believed that there was a possibility of dying, whatever he did, and so he did what was best. One story that emphasized the importance of survival was when he told me that people rode on the tops of trains or walked through snow, to get out of Seoul before the Chinese and Communists reached it.

The 'Still Life With Rice' highlighted the fact that no-one in the north was expecting the war, but my grandfather also said that he was not expecting the north to attack. He says that until that point, the military was more for show than actual protection. He says that even after the war began, nobody expected it to be as long and brutal as it was.