Soobin+KRW+interview

KOREAN WAR INTERVIEW

http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/87/77687-004-8F7A3493.jpg

=PODCAST=

media type="file" key="12938korean war interview.m4a"

=INTERVIEW QUESTIONS=

When were you born?

할머니는 언제 태어나셨어요?

What were some of the hardships you experienced during the Korean War?

6. 25 전쟁중에 뭐가 제일 힘드셨어요?

Were any of your family members related to the South Korean military?

할머니 가족 중에서 군인이었던 사람 있으세요?

What did your family do during the Korean War?

6. 25 전젱이 일어나는 동안 할머니 가족은 뭐하셨어요?

Where did you relocate to when the war broke out? Why?

6. 25 전쟁이 일어났을때 할머니는 어디로 가셨어요? 그리고 왜 거기로 가셨어요?

Was the village you were staying in safe from North Korean attacks?

할머니가 계시던 곳은 안전한 곳이었어요?

Did you encounter any North Korean refugees during the war?

6. 25 전쟁이 일어났을때 북한 사람 만난적 있으세요?

Did you have any experiences with the US army / soldiers? If so, what happened?

미국 군인들 보셨어요? 보셨다면 어떤 일이 있으셨어요?

How did you receive education during the war?

전쟁이 일어나는 동안 교육은 어떻게 받으셨어요?

On June 25th, what was the atmosphere like in your village?

6 월 25일 때 할머니 사시던 곳은 분위기는 어땠어요?

How were you able to get food and necessities during the war?

전쟁이 일어나는 동안 음식이랑 생필품은 어떻게 구하셨어요?

When the war ended, did you return to your original house?

전쟁이 휴전 됐을때 할머니 원래 집으로 돌아가셨어요?

What was the most shocking experience for you during the war?

제일 황당한 경험은 뭐셨어요?

=SUMMARY=

media type="file" key="interview summary.m4a"

My grandmother, Kim Kyung-Ok, was born in 1938, and was 12 when the Korean War broke out. Although she was not directly affected by the attacks from the North Koreans due to her immediate evacuation to Sorea near Ansan, she experienced the effects caused by the war, such as the difficulty of obtaining food. Her mother and elder brother needed to travel back and forth to Incheon in order to obtain rice, and were always at risk of being caught by North Korean soldiers during their journey.

Since my grandmother was too young to travel to Incheon, she did not see American or North Korean soldiers. However, her mother had seen young North Korean boys, only the age of 15, who were recruited as soldiers.

Apparently my grandmother's father earned money by selling salt, therefore had enough money to support his family and by basic necessities.

It is shocking that my grandmother's uncle had experienced torture from the South Korean police, as he was wrongly accused of being communist. However, he managed to escape the inspection as my great grandfather convinced the police that her uncle is not communist.

My grandmother explained how inspections by the South Korean police were just as disturbing as the attacks from the North Korean and Chinese.

When she returned to her village when the war "ended," her house was surprisingly not damaged.

=RELEASE FORM=



=ANALYSIS=


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

I interviewed my grandmother, who was 12 at the time. Since she escaped to Sorae near the sea where it was safe, she did not experience many hardships. However, obtaining food was the most difficult as rice was sold in a different location in Incheon. There were often times when her mother (my great grandmother) and her brother needed travel back and forth to Incheon to obtain food. Her story reflected the fact that it was hard to get food during the war as civilians. Her mother occasionally saw North Korean soldiers, in one case she saw a 15-year-old North Korean soldier who only had a stick as a weapon. This allowed me to understand that North Korea was desperate at that time to recruit as many people as possible into their army. Similar to the movie we had seen about the Korean War. In the movie, they had forced boys the age of 17 to join the army.


 * 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 grandmother was not directly affected by the war; however, the war was what caused her to move to Sorae near Ansan where it was safe. Luckily she had not stayed in a dangerous location where North Koreans attacked. Obtaining food was difficult and life was a lot more restrained after the war broke out. When her brother and mother were traveling back from Incheon, they always had to be cautious of whether there were any North Korean soldiers. Although my grandma was not directly involved in attacks from the North, the effects of the war, such as food shortage, affected her. Receiving education was also impossible during the war since situations were chaotic and people were paranoid.


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

My grandmother was safe from the war due to her flee to a safe location. Sorae was hardly affected by the war and her father had enough money to support their family. Her father (my great grandfather) was able to earn money during the war by selling salt. My grandmother believes that her mother and elder brother had the most dangerous job of traveling to Incheon and obtaining rice. However, apart from those risks, she was able to avoid danger during the war and was hardly affected.

=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?**

Although my grandma was not directly affected from the attacks of the North Koreans, she told me of the hardships her mother, father, and elder brother experienced during the war. This interview allowed me to understand clearly what life was like during the Korean War. From Still Life With Rice, I was able to learn about how a North Korean was able to escape to the south, experiencing many hardships. On the other hand, I was able to hear a story from my grandmother, who is a South Korean, about the war.

My grandmother was immediately evacuated to Sorae near Ansan, and had a rather safe life, therefore did not experience much of the attacks. The interview with my grandmother clarified the fact that Korea was significantly affected by the war such as food shortages. Although her father earned money by selling salt, and had enough money to buy rice, the journey to purchase rice was rather risky and dangerous. My grandmother’s mother and brother did the job of traveling back and forth from Sorae to Incheon to obtain rice.

The South Korean police had accused my grandmother’s uncle for being communist, but was luckily saved by my great grandfather as he convinced the police that her uncle is not communist. This proved how innocent civilians were often wrongly blamed for being communist. After hearing her uncle’s experience of being tortured by the South Korean police, my grandmother explained in the interview how being wrongly accused of being a communist was more intimidating and frightening than being attacked by North Korean and Chinese soldiers.

During the war, people had to live in fear of being caught by North Korean soldiers. The Korean War had begun soon after Korea gained independence from the Japanese, thus people were insecure. Both sides of the war were desperate and determined to restore stability within the country.

From this interview I was able to learn that survival was most important during the war. People such as my grandmother and her family evacuated to Sorae in order to survive, while Hongyong in Still Life With Rice fled to South Korea to survive and have a better life. Since survival was of foremost importance during the Korean War, education did not matter as much. Education, a rather crucial factor in Korea, was not considered important during the war since people were too busy worrying about surviving, and were too terrified to educate students or receive education in such a risky situation. My grandmother did not receive education during the entire time of the Korean War, while her mother traveled to Incheon regularly, risking her life, to obtain food and support her family.

Others can learn that many South Korean civilians had evacuated to safer regions to avoid the war, and their primary goal was to survive. The only worries the Koreans had during the war was obtaining food, finding a safe place where they can temporarily live until the war is over, and avoid all North Korean attacks. Overall, most Koreans seem to share the perspective that North and South Korea must unite sometime in the future peacefully, including my grandmother.