JP+KWI

=//**Korean War Interview Project**// =

Release Form
In view of the historical value of this oral history interview, I, Sang Il Lee knowingly and voluntarily permit Jason Park, Asian Studies A, Korea International School the full use of this information for educational purposes.

Signature x

Date

Interview Questions:
"This is Jason Park and I am interviewing Lee Sang Il on May 14th at Iljin Co. office. We are going to talk about The Korean War."

1. Could you please give a brief introduction of yourself? (Including name, age, background, marriage, job, how you learned English, and family of today.) 2. What was the surrounding/nature of the place you lived like up until the war? 3. How was life like for you during this time? 4.. What do you recall when you first heard the war broke out? What age were you, what were you doing, etc. 5. Were you affected by the fighting? 6. What did you and your family do to avoid the fighting? 7. Do you remember any particular hardships you and/or your family faced during these times? 8. During the war, how did you think everything would turn out? 9. As the war progressed, what were your opinions on the Americans? 10. Do you think American intervention was the right choice? Why? 11. How did life progress after the war ended? 12. What are your opinions about a unified Korea? Do you think it will happen? 13. Do you think the Korean War could have been avoided?

Do you have anything else you'd like to say?

Thank you very much for your time

The Interview
Part 1 media type="file" key="jasonpart1.mp3" Part 2 media type="file" key="jasonpart1 2.mp3"

The Summary
media type="file" key="Summary.mp3"

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

My grandfather experience of the war was very similar to those I have read in class. However, living close to Seoul and being of such a young age has spared him from the most severe cases faced by citizens during the Korean War. From what I have learned, the citizens that have faced the Korean War have gone through unimaginable stress and difficulties, such as being drafted into the army, fighting with literally brothers, and even watching friends and family get blown to bits. In the confines of Seoul, Sangil and his family escaped the American bombs by hiding in basements, and even the men of his family avoided being drafted into the North Korean army by escaping into the countryside. Sangil, of course was too young to be called up, and was left alone. Overall, my grandfather's firsthand accounts of the war were not only interesting and intriguing, but opened my eyes for the first time of how real war is.

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?

My grandfather was greatly affected by the war, as shown by his amazing recall ability as he accurately remembered the exact date and even time of the first North Korean attacks in his area. There is a concept called the flashbulb memory that is basically an important event in a person's life that is often recalled with alarming accuracy. For instance we may all know where we were when we first heard of the 9/11 attacks. To my grandfather, June 25th, 1950 1:00 PM will forever stay in his heart as the day when his whole life changed. Sangil's family was even torn apart at one point when his father and his elder brothers escaped the Seoul city limits and resided in the quiet countryside. As for Sangil, he was luckily spared from being forced into the North Korean army because of his age. In this respect, my grandfather was relatively lucky compared to other victims of the war. After the ceasefire was issued, my grandfather witnessed first hand of how Korea's economy and global influence grew exponentially up until the turn of the 21st century.

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

Sangil Lee was extremely lucky to be just 6 miles north of Seoul during the first attacks. Immediately following, he and his family escaped towards the city. Soon enough, the North Korean forces took over Seoul and with it came the lives of hundreds of thousands of Koreans who resided there. My grandfather was quoted to say that "the shelling and the bombs from the UN airplanes was the scariest part of the war." Sangil and his family hid beneath the surface in the safety of basements and bunkers, and this effectively protected them from the aerial threat. Young Sangil was also extremely fortunate of just being thirteen years of age. Just four more years older, he would be undoubtedly drafted into the North Korean army, and, as my grandfather smiled as he pointed out: "being drafted in the army meant certain death." Being confided in Seoul during all of this, Sangil Lee was quite fortunate as he avoided most of the atrocities of the Korean War.