Min+Jhe-Korean+War+Oral+History

media type="file" key="Memo.m4a" width="300" height="50" media type="file" key="Memo-1.m4a" width="300" height="50" media type="file" key="Memo-2.m4a" width="300" height="50" media type="file" key="Memo-4.m4a" width="300" height="50" media type="file" key="Memo-5.m4a" width="300" height="50" media type="file" key="Memo-6.m4a" width="300" height="50"  Korean War- Interview with Grandfather
 * The sentence from the release form is said in the very first 2 minutes of the video by grandfather himself repeating after the words I said.

At 4:00 A.M. 25th June 1950 I was a high school freshman (17 years old). I lived with two older brothers, uncle, and my mother in Gyeongsangnamdo.
 * 1) **Could you tell me your age, job, family status?**

I was not aware of the situation at the very moment when war broke out because there was no prior notice from North Korea before they invaded us, so I already headed out to the school in Ma-san. Before I knew it, North Korea conquered up to the boundaries of Pu san in 4 days and forced us to flee to further south. I became a voluntary soldier when U.S. marine armies arrived at Pusan. I fought with them for 7 days as an interpreter. I have seen people suffering from injuries. Fighting between the people of the same root was absolutely horrifying.
 * 1) **Where were you when the war broke out?**
 * 1) **Did you ever get to experience the war?**

Jhe family did not have any relatives living in the North.
 * 1) **Did you have any relatives living in the North?**

We scarcely had food and water to supply ourselves with while the war was going on. There was absolutely no electricity, and we had to feed ourselves with wild plants and aids of U.N.. I was very sad that the country was repeating its history of being forced to fight against each other by the foreign influence. I thought it was the end of the life for us. North Korean armies were overwhelmingly powerful, South Korea scarcely made any resistance with its futile armies. Whilst North Korea had number of tanks and jets, we were only armed with the ground soldiers with obsolete weapons. North Korea’s violation of war law also showed that communist countries will not be restricted to keep the regulation if it hinders their aim.  Our government was officially recognized by U.N. whilst North Korea did not. Rhee Syngman and his followers despised the trusteeship that the nation was under, and did not approve of the communist ideals of Kim il Sung. Baekbeom Gim Gu, the last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea attempted to persuade North Korea into co-working in rising the nation. He was soon assassinated by one of Kim Il Sung’s generals.
 * 1) **How did the war influence you?**
 * 1) **How did you feel about the progress of the war?**
 * 1) **What stance did Rhee Syngman government take against North Korea before the war broke out?**

The Soviet Union obviously wanted to take our country for free, just the way they jumped in to World War II and ended simply by declaring war on Japan. Without the help of USSR and China, North Korea would never had chance against U.N. army and Kim il Sung government. The fact that these two countries took the risk of being potential enemies with United States and its allies indicates that either they thought U.N. wouldn’t interrupt much with taking such a small country in few days or they actually had intention and confidence to start another World War.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**What do you think was the root cause of the war?**

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> General MacArthur played a major role in flipping the situation. However, his plans to push further northern part of Baekdu Mountain was hindered by President Truman as China sent troops down to regain the parts of North Korea which could start another World War III. Everyone mentions that it is a pity we couldn't unite Korea with such a good opportunity to. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Death of people, total destruction of buildings, Korean vs Korean Such history should never repeat. The number of deaths in this war which exceeded 3 million casualties, destruction that totally disabled Korean economy, and the killing of the same kind were too much sadness for Koreans to bear.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**What do the acquaintances of yours who experienced the war say about this period?**
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What aspect of the war struck you the most?


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Is there anything else that you might want to add to this subject?**

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; letter-spacing: 0px;">Hatred produces nothing but war. South Korea as a country of leading economy should recognize that it is only the certain number of North Koreans that portray such hostility to us, not the entire people. We are to be welcoming in receiving North Korean refugees to our utmost. I am currently leading a campaign aiding these refugees for such fact. In order for the war to not break out again, South Korea must keep the tension of war at all times so that we can stand up against North attack at any time. Korea’s biggest strength lies in its unity of people; “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” Lincoln said. Lastly, there is no peace without power. We must have strength to fully defend ourselves, otherwise the same incident will happen again. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Summary&reflection** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: normal;">During the interview with my grandfather, I have noticed three largest factors that influenced his life greatly throughout and after Korean War. One, based on his repeated emphasis on how Soviet Union and China ultimately forced two Koreas to fight each other with the people under same root, I could feel his resentment of Korean people’s powerlessness. In addition, my grandfather ironically stated that there is no peace without power- concerning the definition of peace being tranquility from such, this statement once again struck me as assertion of need in disparity to form a formidable society. Second, my grandfather stressed the necessitation of people’s unity. As a country of such small geography, “Unite to Live and Scatter to Die” seemed to hold the core in Korean people’s psychology. He further emphasized the need to be open minded towards North Korean people and have sympathy, as having hostility towards the entire population is rather irrational while the country is heavily influenced by the certain portion of egoists. I feel that the effort of Baekbeom Kim Gu, Korea’s political messiah and a profound scholar, would not have been in vain if Rhee Syngman government took a more amicable stance towards North Korean government prior to Korean War.