1.Basic Information
D.O.B: July 3rd, 1928
Name: 이동수
Number of Brothers/Sisters: 4
Status of Mom and Father: Mother Past away, Does not remember what his dad did as a job , but knew that it was not going too successfully
2. What was your initial reaction when you heard of war?
친구들이 나한테 말해줫을때 나는 친구들이 “지랄”하는줄알앗어. 근대 좀있다가 학교 스피커에서 전쟁이났다고 그 소식을 말햇을때 무서웟어. 나는 전쟁이 무섭지는 안았는대 내 가족한테 무슨일이 일어날까봐 걱정됬어.
When I first found out about the war, I thought my friends were just joking around and “FU**ing” with me. However, a few weeks later while I was at my high school, the speaker came on and told us that we were going to war. The war was a frightening thought, but not because I thought I would die, but because I worried what I would happen to my family If I got drafted to war.
3. How did you feel about the North Koreans? Did you think they started the war?
북한 사람들에 대한 소문 들엇을때 게내들이 진짜 나쁜사람들인줄알앗어. 나는 남한이 아무것도안햇는대 북한이 침범해서 게내가 나쁜사람인줄알앗어.
When I heard about the North Koreans, I thought they were really bad people. They just came barging into South Korea’s land, and so that’s why I think they started the war. The South Koreans didn’t do anything wrong it was the North Koreans, well that’s what I thought at the time.
4. You’re friends should all have been of age, how did they mostly feel?
- 내 친구들은 다 병신들이였어. 내 친구들은 거의다 혼자살거나 가족이 없엇어. 그래서 게내는 전쟁에서 싸우고싶엇는대 나는 내 친구들이랑 다르게 가족들이 있엇어. 나는 가족들 안전을 생각해서 전쟁에 나가기 싫엇어.
At the time, my friends were retarded. They were all single children, or had a family that was decently wealthy and didn’t need them as much as my family needed I. They didn’t understand the responsible it took to raise their brothers and sisters with no mother there to help. They were all hyped up since we were young, they wanted to see blood shed and kill the communists. Unlike them however, I didn’t want to go, I felt like my family needed me and it was my responsibility to protect them after my mother past away.
5. Did you know what was going to happen to your family?
- 나는 내 가족한테 무슨일이 일어날지몰랏어. 그게 제일무서웟어. 내가 만약에 전쟁에 나가서 싸웟으면 내 가족이 안전한지 모르는게 제일 무서웟어.
I didn’t know what was going to my family. That’s what scared me and frightened me the most. If I did get drafted to war, what would happen to my family? Would I be united with them once war ended and I was still alive?
6. Did you know why the two Korea’s were going to war? Did you think this was a justification for engaging in war?
- 나는 왜 북한 사람들이 나쁜지는 몰랐어. 나는 그냥 사람들이 옆에서 나쁘다고해서 나쁜줄알았어. 지금 생각해보면 전쟁하는 대신에 그냥 통일하지말고 남한, 북한 이렇게 나눠져 잇는게 더 낳다고생각해.
I didn’t know why we were going to go to war, but because of how everyone talked about the North Koreans, I just knew in my head that they were bad people. Now that I know the reason, when I look back to the war, I think that we should have just avoided each other and not united the Korean peninsula.
7. Do you believe the sacrifices and effort put into the war paid off? Were the results what you expected?
- 나 전쟁에서 많은 사람들 죽는 거 보고 친구들이 가족이랑 헤어지는것도봤어. 전쟁때매 많은사람들이 헤어지고 죽엇는대 결과가 나빴자나. 통일이안됬으니까 바보같에. 나는 미국이 도와줘서 남한이 이길줄알앗는대 이렇게 결과가 나서 놀랐어.
By the end of the war, there was still North Korea, and there still was South Korea. After all the deaths, lost homes, separated families, the results showed that nothing has changed. I honestly believed that we would win and have a united Korea, once the United States of America joined into the army; I really believed that we would be able to push them back and defeat them. It didn’t happen that way though.
8. Has your views on North Korea changed before the war in Korea, and now?
- 북한 보는 눈이 달라졋어. 전에는 나는 북한사람들이 다 나쁜줄알앗는데 지금은 알고보니까 그냥 대장들이 나쁜거엿어. 이제는 북한사람들이 아직도 나쁘게 살고있는것때매 동정심을 느껴.
Yes after the war, I finally found out about why we went to war and everything. What I believe now is that the people they’re aren’t bad, its just that the leaders are. The people are living such terrible lives, while the leaders are living great lives; people are living off eating bark. I think there are some great people in North Korea, if only they got a chance to live in decent conditions
9. During the war, you must have found some close friends. How did you guys proceed day to day during the war?
- 나 친구들 많이 만들엇는대 전쟁이후에 우리는 헤어지고 그 이후로안만났어. 전쟁에서만난 친구들은 우리 같이 이상한짓많이햇어. 우리 막 기분 좋아질려고 웃긴 노래들 많들었고 우리 서로를 많이 놀렷어. 대장도 우리랑 친햇어.
Yes, during the war I made a lot of great friends, but its sad how after the war I only stayed in contact with one of them. Day to day, we got by slowly by singing songs together, creating our own leisure games, and playing a lot of pranks on each other. We were lucky to have a very generous captain, one who was nice to us and acted as our friend.
10. What happened to you after the war was over? Did life get back to normal? Did you meet your family again?
- 전쟁이 끝난후에 나는 친한친구 정우형랑 같이 살앗어. 내 가족들은 무서운 곳에 살아서 돌아가봤자 죽엇을꺼같아서 돌아가지않고 친구랑살앗어. 그이후로 계속 찾아봣지만 결국 못찾아서 친구 부모님이 나를 보살펴주셧어. 나를 먹여주시고 공부도 시켜주셧어.
After the war, I followed with one of my best friends I made during the war. I did this because I didn’t know what I should do. My family, who was in a dangerous zone would most likely have run away, or they could have even past away. I didn’t want to go to a down that could possibly have been broken down. Instead, I stayed with my best friend whose family accepted me, and allowed me into their family. From there, they sent me to receive education, and even helped me to look for my family. I couldn’t find them however.
11. Is there anything else I didn’t ask you?
No, but you should talk to Minjoo’s (my cousin) grandma. She had a really traumatic experience.->
I talked to my cousin’s grandma about the war, but the interview ended in a matter of minutes. I was asking similar question I did on my grand father but then, she started crying. She was telling me about how she was in Gwangju, and at the time, all the police related people’s families were murdered. The North Koreans came into her town and started slaughtering all the policemen’s families. Her family was murdered too; she saw them die as she hid In the closest. She was the only survivor of her family. I thought that Gwangju was safe from the war, I guess not.
This semester…I’ve really slacked off in English. I felt like I was starting off strong during the first semester, and only improve but
The Movie Requiem for a dream was a very different movie than I had expected. In the end, it seemed as if it was just a long commercial that advocated the general public to stay away from drugs. Although I am used to horrid movies, I felt really different about this one, I was disgusted by their lives rather than what they had done. The way the scenes were shot as well as the music that played along with it contributed to the disgusting feeling the audience felt. I think the quick snap shots were really helpful in contributing to a really different movie.
Schools almost over, and it seems like all my friends are departing this year. Jorma, Sharon, Grace… It’s just a really crappy feeling knowing that your time with your friends are limited. We’ve had a lot of great memories and bad memories…but ill miss them all. The combination of good and bad memories are what makes looking back really funny. Usually, I don’t to school during the last day, because I see everyone cry, and it catches on.
