By Bernard Rowan
"The [Korean] War almost destroyed the fate of South Korea and its new democracy,
Then the United Nations mobilized soldiers from 16 nations.
They fought back from the brink in defense of the Naktong River.
Now, South Korea is a model of democracy and freedom.
We are thankful to you, living and dead, and to your sons and daughters.
Sacrifice shall never be forgotten. The War is, and shall not be, forgotten."
These words from professor Choi Yearn-hong's poem, "Song for the Korean War Soldiers" stand as a precis of his newly published work entitled "Five Boyhood Recollections of the Korean War, 1950-1953." Described as an anthology of Korean War remembrances of five seniors who lived through the war, this work, available on Amazon, deserves wide reading by all audiences, popular and scholarly.
If South Korea goes by the moniker, "Land of the Morning Calm," this book shows how the calm felt for five interesting and representative young fellows shattered by the North's unexpected assault. In Professor Choi's "6.25 Remembered," we see the South's naivety or trust in "calm" burst by the North's attack and kidnappings.
In "Ninety Days Under the Reds," An Hong-kyoon tells of his family's effort to avoid his forced conscription by the North. It records his travel to Busan, such an important city for the South in this War. He eventually joins the war effort as a member of the South Korean Army.
I found touching the depictions of close family ties throughout the work. Families provided critical supports to save lives and to survive in challenging times. An's mother undertakes all efforts: she works under the local administration to gather intelligence. She sells "gaetteok" wheat cakes to feed her family. She orchestrates her son's hiding amid frequent house-to-house searches for "euiyonggun," or conscript volunteers. An himself endures a twisted firewood hiding place to remain free.
An's story depicts accurately that America's "saving" of the South occurred based on a calculation of interest and ideology. It was the real crucible of the Korea-America alliance, not a loving big brother or democratic philosopher's ideal. However, the South's survival needed united effort from the Koreans, the Americans and all the other involved allied nations to win peace.
Soon Paik shares his story of the war, including the loss of his beloved father, Paik Kwon-soo, to the North. The elder Paik organized the Korean Young Men's League for Independence in Japan in his young adulthood and led the Korean Declaration of Independence at the YMCA Hall in Tokyo, resulting in his imprisonment. Captured by North Korean soldiers, he died of pneumonia in his second imprisonment during the Korean War. Paik's poem strikes me as a refrain of the song "Arirang."
Choi Jai-won's "Memory of the Korean War" depicts village life in Gumho, Daegu, and the experience of being a refugee. We learn how he and his middle school classmates literally carried their desks away from school for safekeeping. Enjoyable also is his recounting of a friend, Kwon Moon-sik, whom he worshipped like a big brother and role model as a young male. Moon-sik ultimately volunteered with 71 other high schoolers to reinforce the South's army at Pohang Girls' Middle School during the Battle of Pohang. These youth, like many others, died defending against the enemy.
Choi Yearn-hong contributes a column on Captain Leonard LaRue, who saved 14,000 Korean refugees by removing them by ship from Heungnam, North Korea, to Geoje Island, South Korea. A Christmas miracle occurred because of LaRue and his crew's bravery. LaRue's acts show the best of what America's fighting spirit extends.
Kang Chang-wuk's tale of the war and middle school in Busan reminds us that while Americans lost 36,000 lives, the Korean sacrifice was 2.5 million. He shares his brother's suffering, an example of PTSD, after surviving the war and the battles at the Nakdong River. His oldest brother's family came 250 miles by foot to live with them.
This important work shows why all of us who love Korea and who love democracy and freedom should never forget the Korean War. It shows how great power competition affects and distorts the lives of nations. People of all nations and societies will benefit from the examples and reflections of Choi's "Five Boyhood Reflections of the Korean War." And with this work, as well as many others the writing of which it should motivate, we need not fear losing the legacy of the Korean War.
Bernard Rowan (browan10@yahoo.com) is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University.
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Then the United Nations mobilized soldiers from 16 nations.
They fought back from the brink in defense of the Naktong River.
Now, South Korea is a model of democracy and freedom.
We are thankful to you, living and dead, and to your sons and daughters.
Sacrifice shall never be forgotten. The War is, and shall not be, forgotten."
These words from professor Choi Yearn-hong's poem, "Song for the Korean War Soldiers" stand as a precis of his newly published work entitled "Five Boyhood Recollections of the Korean War, 1950-1953." Described as an anthology of Korean War remembrances of five seniors who lived through the war, this work, available on Amazon, deserves wide reading by all audiences, popular and scholarly.
If South Korea goes by the moniker, "Land of the Morning Calm," this book shows how the calm felt for five interesting and representative young fellows shattered by the North's unexpected assault. In Professor Choi's "6.25 Remembered," we see the South's naivety or trust in "calm" burst by the North's attack and kidnappings.
In "Ninety Days Under the Reds," An Hong-kyoon tells of his family's effort to avoid his forced conscription by the North. It records his travel to Busan, such an important city for the South in this War. He eventually joins the war effort as a member of the South Korean Army.
I found touching the depictions of close family ties throughout the work. Families provided critical supports to save lives and to survive in challenging times. An's mother undertakes all efforts: she works under the local administration to gather intelligence. She sells "gaetteok" wheat cakes to feed her family. She orchestrates her son's hiding amid frequent house-to-house searches for "euiyonggun," or conscript volunteers. An himself endures a twisted firewood hiding place to remain free.
An's story depicts accurately that America's "saving" of the South occurred based on a calculation of interest and ideology. It was the real crucible of the Korea-America alliance, not a loving big brother or democratic philosopher's ideal. However, the South's survival needed united effort from the Koreans, the Americans and all the other involved allied nations to win peace.
Soon Paik shares his story of the war, including the loss of his beloved father, Paik Kwon-soo, to the North. The elder Paik organized the Korean Young Men's League for Independence in Japan in his young adulthood and led the Korean Declaration of Independence at the YMCA Hall in Tokyo, resulting in his imprisonment. Captured by North Korean soldiers, he died of pneumonia in his second imprisonment during the Korean War. Paik's poem strikes me as a refrain of the song "Arirang."
Choi Jai-won's "Memory of the Korean War" depicts village life in Gumho, Daegu, and the experience of being a refugee. We learn how he and his middle school classmates literally carried their desks away from school for safekeeping. Enjoyable also is his recounting of a friend, Kwon Moon-sik, whom he worshipped like a big brother and role model as a young male. Moon-sik ultimately volunteered with 71 other high schoolers to reinforce the South's army at Pohang Girls' Middle School during the Battle of Pohang. These youth, like many others, died defending against the enemy.
Choi Yearn-hong contributes a column on Captain Leonard LaRue, who saved 14,000 Korean refugees by removing them by ship from Heungnam, North Korea, to Geoje Island, South Korea. A Christmas miracle occurred because of LaRue and his crew's bravery. LaRue's acts show the best of what America's fighting spirit extends.
Kang Chang-wuk's tale of the war and middle school in Busan reminds us that while Americans lost 36,000 lives, the Korean sacrifice was 2.5 million. He shares his brother's suffering, an example of PTSD, after surviving the war and the battles at the Nakdong River. His oldest brother's family came 250 miles by foot to live with them.
This important work shows why all of us who love Korea and who love democracy and freedom should never forget the Korean War. It shows how great power competition affects and distorts the lives of nations. People of all nations and societies will benefit from the examples and reflections of Choi's "Five Boyhood Reflections of the Korean War." And with this work, as well as many others the writing of which it should motivate, we need not fear losing the legacy of the Korean War.
Bernard Rowan (browan10@yahoo.com) is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University.
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