Christmas in Seoul in 1954

The arrival of Santa Claus draws a crowd of curious children.

• Published Dec 23, 2018 9:28 AM KST
• Updated Dec 23, 2018 9:28 AM KST

By Robert Neff

For a soldier, Christmas is one of the hardest seasons to be away from family and friends but the military does its best, not only for its service members but also for the local community, to provide holiday cheer.

Through the lens of Corporal Marburger's camera, we get a glimpse of what Christmas was like for an engineer unit and a group of Korean children in Seoul in 1954.

Santa Claus' arrival naturally drew a large crowd of children. For many of them, this was their first encounter with the jolly old man. Some were thrilled but others seemed terrified.

Good food, followed by presents, seems to have put most of the children in the holiday spirit and it was their turn to provide entertainment for the soldiers. The medical skit appears to have gone over rather well but some of the singers, judging from their expressions, seem to have been fighting with stage fright.

Later, after the children were gone, the soldiers were treated to a large dinner. In the military, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are no small affairs and are usually quite elaborate, with copious amounts of food.

After the dinner there was entertainment. It appears that the Kim Sisters ― a famous Korean group ― entertained the soldiers this evening. Of course, some soldiers were not content merely watching and had to get up and show off their new moves.

The chain of command also appears to have had a sense of humor. The large banner declares “Christmas in Korea is a joyous occasion for all” and in Corporal Marburger's office is a calendar shaped like a Christmas tree with the words “reenlist” at the bottom.

Nothing says Christmas more than a reenlistment poster.