Korean+War+Interview+Project+Yunjin+Kim+B+Block

 =Korean War =

The person that I am going to interview is my grandfather, my mom’s father, Ki Hong Lee. He was one of the students during the time and fled to many places in order to avoid the war. He is currently 78 years old and living with our family.

=Korean War Interview Podcast =

Part 1:media type="file" key="Korean War Interview Podcast.m4a"

Part 2:media type="file" key="Korean War Interview Podcast 2.m4a" =Interview Questions =



Interview Questions
//1) Can you briefly describe yourself? (Name, age, marriage, job, family information) How was your life before the Korean War? 2) How did you live during the Invasion? What were some of the fist changes in your life after the war started? 3) What do you think of the Korean War? What does it mean to you? Explain. 4) How did you accept the situation during the start of the war? What did you think really happened at the time? 5) Did you feel any pressure or stress due to the war? If so, how did this invasion impacted you? Your family? Your friends? 6) Where were you when the war occurred? Who were you with? Were you safe or near danger? How much did you stayed? 7) Do you think it would have made any difference if you did not move? 8) Did any of your families have been separated due to the war? If so, how did you stay in touch with your family? If not, how were you separated from them? Did any member of your family have been shipped off to the military? How did this impact you? 9) With your background knowledge, did you think the South Koreans were going to win? Why or why not 10) Do you think America improved the situations in South Korea and supported us? What do you think would have happen if they didn’t help our country? 11) What main reason do you think caused the war? Do you think this war should have happened? Do you agree that the division of both sides should have occurred? 12) How did this experience influence and shaped your life? What was your opinion about the War? Who was wrong and who was right? Who is the one to blame? 13)Did you see any combat? Were there many casualties? Tell me about a couple of your most memorable experiences. 14) Do you have anything to say to the current teenagers? 15) Is there anything you would like to add that we have not covered during this interview? //

=Translated Script =



=Release Form =



=Essay =
 * //Analyze the historical significance of your interview, how has the interview added to your understanding of the war, and how you think it will help us better understand the Korean War in a **1.5 page essay.** //

Korean War Essay

Is it really necessary for countries to lose innocent lives and create vital consequences after the war? So many pointless deaths had took place during the Korean War, but is it really worth the casualties? The Korean war was the most devastative war that happened in the Korean Peninsula. The aftermath of this war was tremendous and there are still a lot of victims that had survived from the recent event. By experiencing the past through interviewing my grandfather, Ki Hong lee, gave a huge influence on my perspective about the Korean War. This opportunity gave me the chance to listen to the ones who lived under repression.

“It would be a typical thing for us in our daily life if we saw a person with no head lying on the ground covered with blood...”(Lee. H.G). Such incident, it was normal for people during the war to encounter any combats. Not only deaths, but hunger and safety would be the biggest issue in their life. Bombs would strike everywhere and anytime during day or night. Terror was filled within everyone’s mind. It’s useless to fight over our own brothers and sisters. The South and the North, both had enormous casualties that was not worth the war at all.

Instead of causing ruthless wars against each other, our society should consider actually supporting each other. The Korean War never ended, we are still in the middle of a armistice. Like my grandfather had said, instead of keep destroying each other, we should unite and become a stronger community. Why should each side struggle to take each other’s land if we could just live under unification? Nothing like this should ever occur again in our country. Thus, more people should start contributing to the economy and government.

My grandfather said that only the ones who experienced war knows the true meaning of it. He was only a 17 year old student during the time, but he experienced near death situations everyday. He said he is lucky to be alive here today. Everyone was sent to armies when they reached the age of 18, but luckily he had one year that waited for him. However, he still continued to meet many dangers. His family became separated from Seoul to Daegu. He sought deaths in his young eyes and strived to reunite with his loved ones.

When will our war ever end? I learned a lot and heard a lot for the first time how life was for the civilians. Hopes were shattered, bloods were separated from each other, and more mishaps. My grandfather strongly urged that the reunification must occur and quickly. He said that since our flow of history in Korea is poorly made and that we had suffered throughout many invasions, it’s more significant for both sides of Korea to unite and build up a stronger nation. This interview made me actually think about our country and consider whether the union should happen or not. But one thing for sure is, “wars are aningless” (Lee.H.G) =Analysis Questions =

 //1) How does your interviewee's testimony fit in with what you have learned about the experience of civilians?// My grandfather had said that his mother and sisters had to walk from Seoul to Daegu in order to avoid the war and to reunify with him and his brother. All the civilians were disgracefully damaged with vital casualties that brought disaster to the people. They were forced into military if they reached eighteen, and had to flee around the country to avoid war. He said that it would be a normal thing when people were scattered into pieces in front of his house by the bombs. As I learned from Still Life with Rice, it was the exact same casualties, but from opposing sides. Both sides had to experience separations between family members and had to strive for life in order to live. Men had to serve army at a certain point, with no lucid possibility they would come alive. Collectively, this crucial Korean War did much the same to both North and South. They all suffered under tremendous difficulties. 

//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?// <span style="color: #130202; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> My grandfather was sitting in his school, waiting for his teacher to come. But as he heard the war coming, everything collapsed. He immediately went to his house and joined his family. He told me that they were literally “forced” and pushed to the South where danger was waiting for them. There was no such place called shelter at the time. Also, both governments were occupied with fighting over each other; they did not concentrate on the civilians at all. While the war was happening, not only bombs would damage them, but also hungers strike them hard too. For the war, both governments were out of soldiers that served the army. Due to this fact, innocent civilians, teenage boys were forced to be sending off to military troops for the war. <span style="color: #001dff; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">

//<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">3) Hypothesize or explain how you interviewee was able to stay out of danger. // <span style="color: #070303; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">He was able to flee to Daegu with his brother by a ride despite the fact that finding transportation during the period was extremely hard. They were lucky, and went all the way up to Daegu to avoid danger. Soon enough, his mother sisters walked all the way from Chung-rang to Daegu to reunite with them. Luck did follow him everywhere. While his brothers were sent off to military, he still had one year left to run away from the calling. He said that if he was only one year older, he might not have been in his place right now with us. My grandfather was also able to spare houses with his brother’s friend. The friend’s family was generous enough to share the house with his family and support each other. Soon enough, after the war slowly fumed out his family went down to Seoul and tried to start their life again. <span style="color: #001dff; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">

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