Jaeook+Lee


 * Publishing Your Interview**


 * On your wikipage for the class you're attending (on the left margin), you will **publish your interviews as a podcast, video, or as a written transcript.**
 * If your podcast or video is in Korean, I will need you to **summarize** your interview in a podcast or video of your own on the same page. I also need you to post your interview questions and the release form on your page.
 * **Analyze** the historical significance of your interview and how you think it will help us better understand the Korean War in a **reflection post** on your wikipage. (this must be at least 250 words).

Your interviews will become available for future generations after you record and publish them. I will advertise them to the Korean War Museum and other appropriate historical institutions around the world. It is of upmost importance that you follow the procedures above so that your interviews are as credible as possible.

media type="file" key="ASIAN INTERVIEW.mp3" width="240" height="20"
 * MY INTERVIEW:**

This is my interview with my grandfather. It is in Korean, and you can hear my questions.

- My Interview Questions with Summary


 * What is your name?** Lee, Young Joon.
 * What is your age?** 80 years old now.
 * How old were you when you were at war?** 20 years old.
 * Married?** Yes.
 * Job?** Nothing, but manages a town senior citizen’s community centre in his town.


 * 1. What were your feelings about the Korean War?**

Korean war, for me, wasn’t very disastrous as other people’s experience. I volunteered to be a police officer when the war started. And I wasn’t fighting against the North Korean Army. So I’m guessing my aversion toward the war isn’t that extreme as that of other people. But still, I view the war as my worst experience in my life. My sister got killed from the Reds because her husband was a police officer, my family had to evacuate when the war first broke out. So generally, I don’t like the War, and its contents.


 * 2. What were you doing right before the war?**

I was in my home, doing household affairs. I was young, and there were not many jobs for me to take at that time. But I knew the seriousness of the situation beforehand because there were few skirmishes between North and South, and I kind of knew the war was going to happen in no time. I remember worrying about my family’s future with my father and my brothers. So I guess I was planning for what to do in the war?


 * 3. What did you do during the war?**

As I already said, I was working as a police officer for the entire period of the war. I went to Ji-ree Mountain, the place where the Reds usually go and hide, to sweep the Reds. I actually had some gun-fights with them, and I had some of them shot. My duty was to arrest them, to secure my allocated area, and to protect my family.


 * 4. What did you do after the war?**

After the war, I was forced to resign from the police officer position, because I hadn’t served my years in military yet. After I resigned, I worked in my father’s rice business. It was a small store. After working there for a year, I joined the army.


 * 5. What battles did you participate in?**

I didn’t participate in any ‘battles’, but I participated in some operations to mop up the Reds when I was a police officer.


 * 6. While you were a soldier, what were your families doing?**

Since the war was already over when I was serving my years in the military, they were back in Junrabookdo Jangsu-Gun. The villagers, including my families, fed South Korean soldiers when they came to their village. Sometimes Reds came and threatened to give them some food, and that the villagers would have to give them out. The civilians were weak, and had to comply with military forces.


 * 7. When did you meet my grandmother? Is it before the war, or after?**

It was after the war when I first met her, when everything was settled. If we met before the war, our love wouldn't have continued. People simply couldn't enjoy any social relationship with others during the war.


 * 8. Do you like North Korea? Why, or why not?**

I don’t particularly hate the North Koreans, but since you’re asking me in national scale, well, I don’t like North Korea. Kim Il-song has done terrible things to both South Koreans and North Koreans. His propagandas had influenced some of South Koreans, making them to be the Reds. And it is those Reds that I abhor. They not only killed my sister, but also gave me hard time in my police officer years. So because of Kim Il-song, I don’t like North Korea.


 * 9. How did you become a soldier?**

As I said before, I had to serve some years as a soldier, so I quit my position as a police officer, and joined the army. And as a solider, I went to Nonsan Training Centre (논산훈련소), and was allocated in Gang-Won-Do to observe the actions taken by North Koreans.


 * 10. How were the trainings in the military?**

It was very very hard. It was so severe and strict. Nowadays culture in military is like a kid’s game compared to the culture I had in the military. I barely had free time, I wasn’t fed well, and I couldn’t sleep much.


 * 11. What did you usually do while you were a soldier?**

I usually trained, and observed North Korean Army’s trend.


 * 12. Do you have any comrades that died during the war? How did you feel?**

Most of my friends were soldiers allocated in fierce battles. Most of them died. I felt very sorry for them, and I was lucky to be working as a police officer.


 * 13. Please explain your thoughts about the Reds (in other word, bbalgaeng-ee).**

I abhor them. I hate them. I deride them.


 * 14. Do you consider your life during the war as one of the lucky experiences compared to your friends? Why, or why not?**

Yes, I was one of the lucky ones because I was a police officer. I didn’t have to join army and fight against North Korean Armies, while most of my friends did.


 * 15. How were you the victim of the war? Why or why not?**

I was a victim of the war for my loss of my sister, my friends, and my family.


 * 16. Is there anything I haven't asked about that you think I should know?**

Although it’s not that big of an event to brag about, but I am one of the men of the national merit for my servings done in military.

---Notes Taken During the Interview ---

경찰에 지원 - applied to be a police officer

권고사직을 당하고, 군대갔다 - was asked to resign, and went to military. 경찰일때 휴전됨 - while he was a police officer, the war came to a truce. 장사도했음 - before he became a soldier, grandpa was a merchant, too, with his father.

몸다쳐서 일년 반...- He was wounded during the fight.

경찰동안.... While he was a police officer......

산에 뻘갱이들이 (남쪽에있는 공산주의자들) 많이 숨어들어가서 소탕하고그랬다. 경찰은 3년동안하셨다. 지리산에 그랬다. 용호대 (경찰학교). - He fought against the Reds for 3 years, mostly in Jiri mountain. He went to Yong Ho University (a Police officer school), too.

1년살림하다가 - 1 year of household,

군대는 억지로갔다 (25살)- then went to military

논산훈련소에서 훈련받고. 강원도에서 전방으로 배치가 되서 인민군들 관측하고. 6사단. 발가락 2개가 없어짐.. 눈이 많이와서 동상..- Got trained in Nonsan Training Centre, and went to GangWonDo and watched and observed North Korean soldiers. 6th division. He lost two of his toes due to frostbite.

관측만살핌 - just observed..

북한군들이 옷을 희게입으려고 옷을 뒤집어 입었고. - the North Koreans wore their clothes upside down to look white during winter. (so to not get detected)

피란을 갔다가... 내 고모부도 경찰관. 9개월만에 고모가 총살당했다... 뻘갱이들 같은 면에 살았는데.. 동네에 북한군이 쳐들어왔었음. 미군이 다시 밀고 올라와서. 인천상륙작전. 서울도 뺏겼었는데... 장성에서 살고계셨음. - His aunt got killed by the Reds.He was living in Jeonlanamdo JangSong.

인민군은 사람을 한명도 안죽였다. - North Korean troops didn’t really kill anybody (according do him)

뻘갱이는 남쪽의 공산주의자. 걔네들이 사람을 많이 죽였다. - The Reds were to be blamed, they killed more people.

할아버지도 죽을뻔했는데 피란잘해서 살았다. - My granpa could have died, but he evacuated well, so he survived.

인민군한텐 악감정 없다. - He doesn’t have any strong aversion toward North Korean soldiers.

휴유증있따. - He has some aftereffects of the war.

가족이 죽으니까 - Some of his family died.

경찰전엔 집안살림 - Before police officer, he was in house doing house works.

훈련도 힘들었고..... - training was hard...

여러가지로 힘들었다. 밥도 별로안주고. - the army didn’t feed him well...

할아버지만 경찰. 할아버지 친구들은 다 군대로 갔다. - Only he was police, his friends went to war.

국가유공자. - Man of the National Merit

---Reflection Post -

This interview was a very fruitful interview. Of course, I started this project because of my grades, and I was a bit reluctant to suddenly call my grandfather and demand for answers of my questions relating to the Korean War. I thought it would bother him because talking about war, which I presumed to be a painful memory for my grandfather, seemed a bit radical, and a bit out of culture for Koreans. But I remember my grandfather’s delighted voice when I called him. I remember how enthusiastically my grandfather answered my questions. He seemed to be enjoying this kind of interview. Honestly, when I go to my grandfather’s house, he is usually very quite and dignified. He is too high of a presence for us grandchildren. But from this interview, I think I had climbed a unscalable wall between me and my grandfather. So first I’d like to thank for this project, for it not only enlightened me with raw and fresh information about Korean War, but helped me to break a biased image of my grandfather.

So, to explain how I think the interview helped me better understand the Korean War, I have lots to talk about. Before, my knowledge in Korean War was very unclear and vague. When my grandfather told me that he was a police officer, not a soldier, I realized that not all men had to go to war at that time. In the past, I thought that all men who were competent to fight had to be conscripted. I was wrong. My grandfather was a police officer, fighting against the Reds. Also, I learned the true definition of the Reds, or in other word, Bbal-gaeng-ee (빨갱이). I thought the Reds only referred to those North Koreans. But it actually meant something different; it meant the communists in South Korea. And it was they who many South Koreans hated so much. As I realized South Koreans abhorred the Reds, a notion that the Reds would have had to hide from others. And it was only then when I realized my grandfather fought in Jiri Mountain (지리산), where many Reds hid in. He also told me some knowledge about Incheon Landing Operation (인천상륙작전), when, why, and how it happened.

The knowledge I had before about the Korean War was just some broken pieces that needed to be fit in with other pieces to make me thoroughly understand the event. And it was my grandfather who fitted all those pieces together. But there’s an irony. He may have fitted the pieces, but I cannot be sure whether he did the puzzle in a right way, since I am confused about some of his points. He said the North Korean soldiers did not kill civilians, and it was only the Reds who killed everybody. I thought differently because I’ve watched numerous movies about Korean War which visualized North Korean troops as severe, dreadful, and bloodthirsty animals who killed many South Koreans. Maybe the deeds of North Korean soldiers depended on people’s social position: civilians and military soldiers.

Okay, so let’s explore the historical significance of the war. Although I knew, learned, and read from textbook that history can be biased, the interview with my grandfather was something fresh, natural, and unadulterated instruction that really taught me how history can be biased. And there are many biased versions of history concerning Korean War. This interview with my grandfather is significant because it is in a perspective of a police officer, not a soldier nor a civilian. It is a chance for us to experience the Korean War in a unique perspective.

Overall, the interview was a complete new approach for me to understand history. I learned about Korean War in a complete new way. I am grateful that I had this opportunity to learn about the war in this unique way, and I won’t hesitate to choose this way to learn history from now on.