Introduction:

I had an interview with my grandma and grandpa who lives in South Korea. I had to
interview them by Facebook messenger and through my parents because I am not fluent nor do I
know how to speak Korean. My grandfather talked about his time during the army and his
childhood when Japan took over Korea. My grandmother talks about how her family was harmed
by the UN and taken away by the North Korean army. Both of them agree that the only way to
unify Korea is by war and not by peace. If I were to cut down the interview I would include parts
of my grandfather’s life and not include a personal question for my grandfather’s birthday. I
believe that the most essential parts of the interview were the fact that both of my grandparents’
families were destroyed due to the Korean war and when the Armistice was passed, they weren’t
able to see their family members in North Korea anymore. The sad truth was that my family was
broken apart due to the Armistice, which was symbolized as a new hope or a good sign in
America. For all Koreans, it was their separation.

Subject(s): Jacob Yoon and Rachel Jeong

Translator: Gyoung Yoon
Interviewer: Victoria Yi
Date/Time: 12/01/18 4:45 pm
Location: Hamden, CT, and Seoul, South Korea
Additional notes: Done via Facebook Messenger

Sections of Interview
Grandpa (Jacob Youn)
Introduction: (0:00 - 1:39)
Childhood and Hometown: (1:40 - 7:19)
Joined Army: (7:20 - 9:08)
Battle of Incheon: (9:09 - 11:34)
Korean War Armistice: (11:35 - 13:28)
The Unification of Korea: (13:29 - 14:08)
Grandma (Rachel Jeong)
North Koreans’ Invasion: (14:10 - 17:12)
Torture and Kidnappings: (17:13 - 19:41)
Korean War Armistice: (19:42 - 20:08)
The Unification of Korea: (20:09 - 21:01)

Childhood and Hometown:

(1:52 - 2:31)
Victoria Yi: Ummm… Where were you born?
….
Jacob Yoon: My hometown is ahhh Yu-dae-po-ri, Echeon gun, ahhh, Kang-wong do (province)
VY: Ok, ummm can you tell me about your family members, such as brothers, sisters, parents,
and relatives?
....
JY: I lived with my four siblings, parents, and grandma together.
(2:50 - 3:08) (3:11 - 3:22)
VY: Ok, umm, can you describe your hometown, ummm where you were born?
….
JY: When Korea was liberated from Japan in 1945, it was a farming land for barley, cotton, corn,
river fishing, etc., but when the North Korea communist took over the area, they installed
military facilities.
(3:53 - 3:58) (5:36 - 6:03)
VY: Can you sing or recite any song or poem that you composed about your village?
...
JY: (singing) "The pathway of Yu-dae-po-ri goes around Im-jin River, where travelers face Ip-
gum-gae in the rugged mountains, then an ancient military training camp site in the lower valley.
There is also a colossal rock standing in the Jeol-gul mountain in the view. Then Bi-bong-san
(mountain) is leading to my hometown, which is comprised of six small areas of farmlands, such
as Cheon-dong, Neung-dong, Dae-dong, Beo-deul-gul, Gum-un-dae-gi, and Neurng-tur."
...
...
VY: ... (grandpa). What is the name of your school?
...
JY: School? The name of my school was Gu-ryong/Sin-sang Elementary School.
VY: Which language was allowed for you to speak at school? Korean, Chinese, or Japanese?
...
JY: Only Japanese was allowed to speak at school because Korea was under Japanese control at
that time. .... I still remember that there was a little girl who wanted to go to the bathroom, but
she asked her teacher in Korean. That triggered her teacher to angry enough to make her remain
in class until she urinated herself in front of everybody.
...
...

Joined Army:
(7:20 - 9:08)
VY: Umm ...(grandpa).... How old were you when the Korean War broke out?
...
JY: I was about 22 years old.
VY: Ah, what made you join in military service? Which side, which side, was it? North or South
Korean army?
...
JY: I served both sides.
...
When I was in North, I was drafted in army, then I escaped to South, where I served for 3 years
as a South Korean Soldier.
...
VY: What division did you serve in the military, such as army, navy, or air force?
....
JY: I served in the South Korean Army.
VY: What was your duty in the military, such as artillery, bomber pilot, tank driver,
communication/information, etc?
...
JY: In North, I served as a foot soldier, but I became a tele-communication/information soldier in
South, where I learned a little bit of English too.

Battle of Incheon:
(9:09 - 11:34)
VY: What do you think about .... umm ... General MacArther's amphibious landing at Incheon in
1950?
...
JY: I believe without succeeding General MacArther’s amphibious landing at Incheon, the name
of South Korea does not exist any longer.
...
VY: Can you explain to me about the Battle of Incheon?

JY: The Battle of Incheon was a critical one for the existence of South Korean because the North
conquered the entire peninsular, excepting Pusan areas located in the far south. When I heard
General MacArther arrived at Incheon, all North Korean soldiers were running to North to save
their life. It was a complete victory for South Koreans!
...
VY: Ah, so, .... (grandpa) Where were you at that time and did you believe that you will meet
your family in North again?
...
JY: At that time, I was in Dae-gu. I really had a high hope that I could see my family again in my
hometown.
VY: Have you ever met General MacArther personally?
...
JY: No, I have not, but I met Presient Eisenhower,
...
...
VY: umm, uh huh,
JY: President Lee (Korean), ..., who visited my division in Dae-gu.
...

Korean War Armistice:

(11:35 - 13:28)
VY: umm, umm, how did you feel when you heard of the Korean War Armistice in July 1953?

JY: I want you to know that most koreans didn’t agree with the Korean War Armistice because
people wanted to unify the country. Actually, I was very sad when I heard the armistice
agreement.
...
VY: Did you agree with the Armistice personally?
...
JY: No, I did not agree with that because I want to see my family. People knew that if the
armistice agreement was signed, people couldn’t travel to North.
VY: umm, at that time, did you feel that you will meet your parents in North again?
...
JY: Everyone in Korea knew that the country was divided into two, so there is no hope to see my
family again. Also, many people didn't like the armistice agreement. It was a sad day for all of
Koreans.
VY: Since then, you haven't seen your parents and siblings. Do you think that the Armistice was
a good idea for Koreans?
...
JY: I still don’t believe it was a good idea for Koreans because since then, .... people from North
Korea have never seen their family again.
...
Unification of Korea:
(13:29 - 14:08)
VY: In order to unify the South and North, do you believe that the Koreans need to have another
war or unify peacefully?
....
....
....
JY: Personally, I don’t believe there would be a peaceful resolution in between North and South.
In order to unify the two Koreas, there is one and only solution, War.
For grandma's interview questions:
North Koreans’ Invasion:
(14:10 - 17:12)
VY: .... (grandma)...How old were you when the Korean War broke out?
Rachel Jeong: I was about 8 years old.

VY: When did the North Korean armies invade your hometown, what did your family do? Did
they move you to the south region, such as Pusan?
....
RJ: All my hometown people escaped to South in time, but we had a large family, so we were
too late to across the Han-gang Grand Bridge, which made an escape route from Seoul to the
South regions, including Dae-gu or Pusan. ... The bridge was intentionally destroyed by the
South Korean government because the North Korean armies were heading down to the southern
regions thru the bridge. Finally, the North Koreans conquered Seoul and my home. Soldiers
gathered my ages kids and taught us the North Korean songs, such as chanting for Kim Il-Sung.

VY: Were they friendly or aggressive monsters, who took everything from your family,
including food, clothes, live stocks, young men for making their soldiers, etc.?
...
RJ: They took everything that they could have from people, including pumpkins, chickens, rice,
etc.
VY: How did you overcome housing and food shortage?
...
RJ: There was not enough food for all. So, all my family was wondering around to find food and
shelter. In order to find food, some family members worked for the North Korean armies,
including sewing, cooking, cleaning, etc. In turn, they gave us some rice or other food to survive.

Torture and Kidnappings:

(17:13 - 19:41)
VY: During the Korean War, what had happened to you and your family, such as your parents,
brothers, sisters, etc.?, such as physical damages, separation, captives....
....
RJ: My house was located in the middle of cross-fighting between North camped in E-wha
University and the U.N. soldiers in Yonsei University. One of those bullets went through my
father’s stomach and he died. The North Koreans took my two older brothers to North, and I also
got a gun shot wound in my leg. After North, the U.N. soldiers came over to my home. They
arrested my mother and tortured her because they accused her to send her two sons to North.

Korean War Armistice:

(19:42 - 20:08)
VY: Do you believe that the Armistice in July 1953 was a good idea to end the Korean War?
...
RJ: I don’t believe that it was a good idea to have the armistice.
…

The Unification of Korea:

(20:09 - 21:01)
VY: In order to unify the South and North, do you believe that the Koreans need to have another
war or unify peacefully?
...
RJ: I hope to see a peaceful resolution to unify the two countries, but I don’t think so. Without
war, it is impossible to unify with North. But I don’t support war because we don’t want to get
help again from the U.S.A. and other United Nation countries to fight for us. It has been too
much burden for us. So, I don’t know which way is the better, but I know war is the last
resolution to unify the two Koreas.