Jae+Lee+-+Korean+War+Oral+History

Interview with my mother: Name: Lee Eun Sook Birth date: February 7, 1965 Hometown: Seoul Other Background Information: unemployed. She is my mother. She is also speaking on behalf of my grandfather.
 * __ Korean War Oral History __**

Questions: 1. What is your name and birth date? Where is your hometown? Can you also provide some other background information about yourself? My name is Eun Sook Lee(이은숙). Previously, my last name was Jang Eun Sook(장은숙), but after marrying, I changed my last name to Lee. I was born in Seoul on February 7, 1965. Currently I am unemployed. 2. What is the name and birth date of the person ’ s experience you are describing? Where is their hometown? My father ’ s name is Jang Dae Young (장대영) and he was born in Seoul in 1944. 3. What did the person, (my grandfather), do when the war started? At the time the war started, he was about 6 years old. He lived in Seoul at the time. When the war started, since Seoul was a dangerous place, he left to Yong-in(용인) with his parents. 4. Why did he leave to the Yong-in area specifically? There were 시골 houses in the Yong-in area where his parents ’  parents stayed. In other words, his grandparents. He and his parents lived (hid) in the basement of his grandparents ’  house. 5. Did they tell you of any events that stood out? If so, what events were they and describe a bit about the events. There was nothing that really stood out to him. He remembered hearing very load sounds everyday. 6. What kind of things did he eat at that time? At first, he could only eat things like rice balls (주먹밥). Later on however, they could only eat things like potatoes. 7. Seeing how the situation seemed to be dangerous throughout the country, what was different between the war state and the peaceful state in Korea? Well, going to the bathroom for instance. Since it was dangerous during the day time, they could only leave the house at night. Therefore, during the day they had to use bins and other supplies to hold waste. During the night, they could go outside to deal with those kinds of issues. 8. Since he (my grandfather) was unemployed at the time (seeing that he was six years old when the war started), what did he do to keep himself entertained during the war time? Although he was very bored during the time, they couldn ’ t do anything during the day. Therefore, during the day they only slept and during the night, they came out to gather foods like potatoes. 9. What did he do after the war ended? He returned back home with his family. However, since Seoul is near the 38th parallel, that ’ s where most of the conflicts took place. Thus, when he returned back to his home, he found it all broken. 10. Is there anything else that he remembered clearly at the time? Is there anything else that you would like to let me know regarding the Korean War? Of course, since he was very young at the time (six years old), he doesn ’ t remember many things regarding the warring times. He is currently about sixty-six years old. However, when he returned home, he heard many stories about people who died. He heard of neighbors who were taken and killed during the war. He also spoke about seeing many dead people and destruction on the way back home from Yong-in.

Thank you for the interview.

Notes taken: - Born in 1944. Was 6 years old at the time. Name is 장대영. He is my (외) 할아버지. - 서울에 살았구. - 부모님 손잡구 용인으로 피난감. - 시골집 지하실에 부모님과 숨어서 있었다.

기억나는것 - 대포소리같은 커다란 소리가 매일들림. - 먹을것을 - 처음엔 주먹밥 - 나중엔 감자

화장실은 - 빈통에다 - 밤이되면 밖에 나가서 해결

할껏 - 심심했지만 소릴를 낼수없어서 낮동안을 잠만잤다

- 집에 돌아오니 다 부셔지고 없었다. - 많은 사람들이 끌려가 죽었다는 소리도 들었고. - 집으로 오는길에도 죽은 사람을 많이 봤다.

Release form: In view of the historical value of this oral history interview, I Eun Sook Lee knowingly and voluntarily permit **__Jae Lee, Asian Studies class of Korea International School__** the full use of this information for educational purposes. Signature __**이은숙**__ Date __June 2, 2010__

Reflection: After interviewing someone about the Korean war, there are things to be learned. First off, we can understand how difficult the situation must have been at the time. For instance, even the younger people at the time were affected. My grandfather was only six years old when the war started. It still impacted him greatly. Most people wouldn't be able to remember that much, since it was more than fifty years ago. However, he still remembered some events, which shows how much of an impact it must have had on his life. The Korean War is a very significant event for all Koreans. It basically ends in an armistace which has lasted to this day (although that armistace could possibly fail in our current situation). Talking with a person who experienced the war first hand will give us a better understanding to the feelings that they have felt. We can all learn history through textbooks and other sources. However, there is no better way to understand history than to ask someone who actually lived through the event. Their thoughts, feelings, and memories are all real. This gives us a kind of inside point of view. A point of view no textbook could ever show us, as the person we interviewed most likely didn't write their memories and feelings in a textbook. With an interview like this, we all get a better and clearer understanding of what people went through during the Korean War, the feelings they felt, and the memories that impacted their lives most to this day. Overall, this interview was a great learning experience in order to get a more in depth understanding of the Korean War.