F.+Analysis+Questions

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 //1) How does your interviewee's testimony fit in with what you have learned about the experience of civilians?// ===== In class, we were presented with many different primary and secondary sources of the Korean War. I had utilized these sources to create questions for my interview, and was surprised to discover that my grandfather had several contrasting views. My grandfather was aware of all the atrocities that had happened during the Korean War. He was relatively unharmed because he was in the area near Pusan (if you remember, Pusan was where the North Koreans did not invade), and he had food, shelter, and family. My grandfather had talked about the harsh life conditions that the war had presented itself to the people of Korea. For instance, many Koreans were victims of refugees, and as a result, Pusan was overpopulated. This resulted to millions of separated families, war orphans, and so on. We had read about the hardships during and after the war in our secondary source documents (i.e. Still Life With Rice), and I was amazed to find how similar these two testimonies were. However, my grandfather did not seem to agree with me on the view of the UN forces and the Americans. My grandfather is extremely pro-American, even today. When I had told him about the mass massacres that happened (the American pilots had shot down fleeing refugees from their plans), my grandfather simply stated that it was a "mistake", and that the "pilots believed that the refugees were actually swarming armies of North Koreans". It made me wonder how many contrasting views the Koreans had of the Korean War.

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 //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?// ===== According to my grandfather, life was simply a horror during and after the war. Schools had shut down, churches were banned, food was scarce, and innocent civilians were sacrificed. Apparently, there was an epoch called "보리고개" (Bo Ree Go Gae) during the war, and it was a period of three months after the Chusuk where no rice grew. People had to rely on pine barks for nutrition and food. Many people had died because of famine and malnutrition, and it clearly shows how difficult life was during the war. My grandfather had also talked about the life after the war. My grandfather was 20 years old by the war ended (Student at the Seoul University), and he had to move to Seoul for education. According to him, Seoul was "in ruins". There were no buildings because all of them were bombed by the UN forces. The UN forces had bombed the city of Seoul because the North Koreans had occupied the city in the beginning of the war. As a result, there were no thriving industries and no buildings. The only bridge of Han River was demolished because the UN forces had bombed it so the North Koreans would not be able to cross it. One event that had impacted my grandfather the most was the closing down of the school and the banning of Christianity. My grandfather was a Christian since before the war, and when the war started, all Christians were executed by the North Koreans. Luckly, my grandfather was living in Sun-chun at the time (a place near Pusan), and the North Koreans did not get to him. However, they got my grandfather's church's Priest (Son), and that had impacted my grandfather a lot. Priest Son was like a father to my grandfather.

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 //3) Hypothesize or explain how you interviewee was able to stay out of danger.// =====  As stated before in previous questions, my grandfather was a mere ninth grader in the area of Sun-chun, a place near Pusan. Since Pusan and Daegu were the areas where the North Koreans had not invaded, my grandfather and his family was relatively unscathed of the war. My grandfather's family owned a large farm, and thus, the family did not starve. My grandfather had raised crops and wheat for the family, and although the food was scarce, nobody had died because of the hunger. My grandfather and his family did not come into direct contact with the Communists from the North, and therefore, my grandfather was able to escape direct danger.