LL+KWI

=**Lauren Lee Korean War Interview B Block** =

Interview Questions
__Introduction__ 1. Could you please briefly describe yourself? (Including your name, current age, the age you were in during the war) Could you also briefly talk about the situation Korea was in during the beginning of the war?

__Section I: The Escape__

2. Did you have to evacuate your home during the war to a safer place? If you did, where did you move and who did you go with? 3. How did your family survive after the escape? (How did you or your family members earn the money for daily survival?) 4. Did you still attend school even during the war? How was school life for you then?

__Section II: The Red Army__

5. Who were the major targets the Communists captured to serve in the Red Army (North Korean Army)? 6. What did the Communist do with the people they captured? 7. Do you remember anything about the UN or the U.S. army during the Korean War? 8. Could you talk about a few things that you remember about the actual battles it self that took place?

__Section III: The Return__

9. Before you evacuated your home, did you try to hide any of your properties, so that you could find them when you came back after the war? 10. Did you return back to your home (Seoul)? How was it like when you went back? (Were your properties still there?) 11. Did you loose any family members during the Korean War? 12. What did you loose because of the Korean War? (For example, your teenage life or your family’s wealth, etc.) 13. What are your opinions about the reunification?

Interview
//Mr. Osterweil, the last part of the interview, where it asks the question, "What are your opinions about the reunification?", the imovie didn't work, so I couldn't put in the subtitles. I had to record the translations myself. Thanks!

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Interview Summary
//I didn't need to do the summary because I had the subtitles for the video.//

Analysis Questions

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

Through the interview, I did learn much new information about the Korean War, but most of the memories about the war that my grandmother told me about were the information that we learned during class. Throughout the interview, whenever my grandmother mentioned the history part of the Korean War, I was content because I actually had more than enough background information that helped me understand the interview in a much professional way. For example, when my grandmother mentioned the incident about Truman rejecting the plan that MacArthur had about bombing China, I instantly remembered the information that we went over during class time. Another example is when my grandmother explained almost the entire process of the war (where the North invaded all the way until Daegu and how they retreated back as the Americans came, but soon captured Seoul again, and so on) I remember the video clip that Mr. Osterweil had showed us during class.


 * 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?**

During the war, there were numerous events that affected my grandma during the time of the war. Many things affected her family as well. First of all, one of my interview question was “What did you loose because of the Korean War?” and my grandma answered this question that she has lost her teenage memories that every girl dreams of. She never had time to socialize, she basically never had the time to enjoy life and everyone knows that during a teenager’s age, there are many things to experience and learn, but my grandma said that she never got those chances back then during the war. Also, because of the shortage of food supplies the North and the South had within their armies, my grandma’s family’s rice they had were all taken away, so at times, they had to make porridge out of the little rice they had to feed all of the family. The family was also greatly harmed because my grandmother’s father lost all of his wealth because as the North were retreating back to the North, they burned down all of the factories that her father owned, so they were left with nothing after the war.


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

My grandmother was able to survive the war and stay out of great danger. During the interview, she mentions that in the beginning of the war, not everyone could leave Seoul because the South Koreans had to knock down the only bridge that allowed the people to cross the river. The South Koreans had to stop the North Koreans from invading and coming into Seoul, so they bombed the bridge. Back then, the bridge was the only way to leave Seoul, so my grandmother and her family didn’t get a chance to escape in the first place. However, later during the winter, my grandmother and her older brother escaped Seoul first because they were the oldest of the family. They went to their aunts’ house. Their aunt had a huge collie dog and whenever the dog barked, my grandmother and her brother would climb up to the roof top and stay there until the soldiers left the house. Also, when my grandmother and her brother were escaping, they didn’t walk to their aunt’s house, but they were in a helicopter because their father knew one of the generals at the army and he asked for help, so my grandmother had a rather safe escape from Seoul.

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. In addition see the link to//

The Korean War went on for three full years and the war has caused so many people great pain. Most people only know about the Korean War through textbooks and novels, but through this interview, I have learned that the war was tremendously different in the eyes of those who have been through all of it and a valuable lesson was learned through this assignment. The historical significance of the interview is that the interview is a perspective from a person who was wealthy during the time of the war, but has experienced probably the greatest lost due to the Korean War. The evacuation of Seoul was painful. Many people had to leave their homes and families in Seoul. During the evacuation many lost their beloved family and struggles through the hard times even after the evacuation. Before the interview, the only information that I’ve read about evacuations and hardships were through novels, articles, some video clips, and through textbooks. However, after the interview, I was able to obtain the primary source of the actual experience that took place during the war and how it affected an individual’s life. Through textbooks and novels, I was only able to obtain stories about people who came from a rather poor background or an average background, but through my grandmother’s interview I was able to obtain how a business family was damaged and how their experiences were like during the Korean War. Approaching a single event from different perspectives is an extremely important trait, when viewing an interview or a documentary. Listening to different people’s point of view, who were living during the same time period, gives the viewer a more deeper understanding about the Korean War. For example, when it comes to learning about how badly the people were treated during the war, we can learn how the poor people were treated by policemen and soldiers. If we take a look at the same time period with different viewpoints, then we can understand how the rich people coped and survived through the hardships that they went through. One example from my interview is the way in which the people evacuated Seoul. The poor people had to escape Seoul by walking and crossing rivers, which was dangerous. So many young boys and men from the South were captured and they were sent to the North to serve in the Red Army. Hundreds of families lost their sons and husbands and some never returned home, while others were severely injured even if they were successful at escaping the deadly camps and armies. The life of a soldier was like hell. However, my grandmother was able to obtain help from the army through her father’s friend and she was safely moved into the suburbs safely with her brother through a helicopter. After the long and tiresome war was over, many people returned to their homes that they have evacuated a long time ago. However, when they arrived at their homes, they were traumatized by what they saw. Their houses were all robbed and even many of the wealth that they hid under the grounds were even taken as well. Many rich and poor people during this time lost all of their wealth and they had to start their lives all over again. The hardships that our grandparents experienced teaches us many things and how thankful we should be with the conditions that we have today. A valuable lesson that was obtained through the interview not only helped me learn more about the Korean War, but I also hope that other people who watch my interview learn as well.