Tag: japanese occupation

Chown Soon Cho was born in Bugok-ri, Gochang-gun, North Jeolla Province, during the Japanese occupation. When she was three years old, her mother gave her to her eldest aunt to raise as her own, a common practice at the time. It wasn’t until she was ten years old that her grandmother revealed that she had been adopted by her relative, a surprise which, at the time, developed into feelings of betrayal. Soon after, the Korean War forced Mrs. Cho to shelter with her grandparents, rather than seeking refuge elsewhere. She recalls seeing the North Korean enter her village, as well as the traumatic experience of being held hostage by them. After the war concluded, she married and had eight children before immigrating to the United States in 1984, with her children following her later. Although her life has been filled with moments of profound sorrow, she tells us that today, she finds joy in her children and grandchildren, asking for little more than their own happiness.

Seung Hie Kim was born in Seoul, Korea, during the Japanese occupation. Recounting her childhood memories, she describes what school while under imperial control, such as how penalties would be imposed on students who spoke Korean in the classroom—not even an “Um-ma! Oops!” went unnoticed. She speaks of the Japanese name and identity given to her (“Ido Hoshiko”), and feeling sadness and confusion while listening to Hirohito’s surrender broadcast as she’d considered herself to be Japanese by the war’s end. After liberation, her family was subjected to kidnappings and arrests owing to her siblings’ Communist ties, and during the Korean War she fled from Seoul to Yeoju-si. Shortly after the war ended she met her husband, who had returned from military academy in the United States. The couple married in 1957 and later moved to the U.S. in 1972, settling in Baltimore where fortune granted them a business opportunity in managing a large department store in the greater Baltimore area.

Issun Park’s life has been shaped by unexpected relocations and experiences. Born in Kaesong, North Korea, she spent most of her childhood in Seoul. At the age of 8, her family had to leave Seoul urgently, crossing the Han River just before it was bombed. They managed to escape the city safely. Later, her father found a job with the US Army stationed in Tokyo, where they lived for seven years before eventually moving to Okinawa. In 1962, Park emigrated to San Francisco to join her older brother. It was there that she met her future husband through a mutual friend, got married, and had three boys together. Despite her diverse background, Park never felt out of place in America and has embraced the liberal values instilled by her father.

Dr. Samuel Sang Gook Lee was born in Daegu, Korea in 1935 during the Japanese occupation. Recalling the Emperor’s Oath that Korean students had to recite every day in school, Dr. Lee reflects on feeling shame for obeying Japanese rule. He was forced to learn Japanese and obtain a Japanese Sur name during the occupation. His local church was the only place where he found community and positivity.

Later when he was 15 years old, Dr. Lee served as a house boy for 3 years where he ran errands for the U.S. soldiers on their military base. It was during this time that he suffered from severe depression and anxiety, which he carried with him throughout the rest of his life. Since immigrating to the US, Dr. Lee continues to pray every day to bring healing to himself and his family impacted by generational trauma.

Born in 1935 during the Japanese occupation of Korea, Choong Shik Cho recalls constantly struggling and facing hunger. When the Korean War broke out, he was 16 years old and spent the first three months hiding in a dark basement because his family feared he would be drafted. Although his family didn’t have much, he remembers his parents’ deep devotion to providing him and his seven siblings with food and support.

Hee Shin Suh was born to a noble, or yangban, family in 1924 in Jangsu, Jeollabuk-do. Mrs. Suh grew up with hired help and openly shares she wasn’t familiar with household chores when she immigrated to Ohio. She even recalls giving her kids under or overcooked rice multiple times and struggling to cook Korean dishes. Seeing her neighbors working and feeling unproductive at home, she found work as a seamstress and continued to work there for the next 20 years.

Dr. Kee Ok Cho’s father firmly believed that women should have access to education. While attending vocational school, Dr. Cho knew she had to go to school in Japan like her sister in order to get the best education possible. Plans quickly changed when Japan began to lose the war. She instead had to attend school in Korea to reduce the chances of being taken to become a comfort woman. Soon after, the Korean War breaks out.

Nam Young Park, born 1931 in North Korea, describes his childhood throughout Japanese occupation, recollecting what it meant to be Korean at that time. After Korea’s eventual independence, Nam began his dream of becoming a lawyer at Korea University. To his dismay, the Korean War broke out just one month into school and he was quickly recruited as a young soldier.

Sang Hui Juhn was born in 1932 in Wonju, Korea, and attended six years of primary school under Japanese occupation. She recalls not being allowed to speak Korean at school and working to provide supplies for the Japanese army instead of studying not fully understanding what was going on. Most of all, she remembers the name she was given – Kiyomoto Eiko. The occupation ended once World War II ended but soon after, conflict began to rise between North and South Korea.

Pak Myung Sook was born in 1929 in Seoul, South Korea, during a time when the country was under Japanese rule. During the outbreak of the Korean War, her father, who had worked as a police officer, was kidnapped, leaving her mother to care for her four younger siblings on her own. Ms. Pak’s mother sought strength in her religious faith, helping her entire family to become devoted Christians After growing up during a time of cultural and social repression, Ms. Pak then experienced the horrors of war, suffering the loss of her child when she fled to seek refuge. After the war, she immigrated to America when her husband’s company went bankrupt and began to build a new life with her family. Her stories depict how important it is to find comfort and strength in one’s family and keep moving forward, no matter what.

Mary Kim, born in North Korea, grew up in Seoul during both the Japanese occupation and the breakout of the Korean War. Ms. Kim shares her memories of being punished for speaking Korean and hearing rumors about women being recruited as comfort women in her hometown. She also recalls the difficulty of trying to stay alive during the war with vivid memories of scavenging and rationing out foods like potato powder and barley. Ms. Kim’s husband was able to immigrate to America, rare at the time, through his medical research work. Ms. Kim soon followed with their children with the dream of securing their family’s safety and future lives.

Bonnie Bongwan Cho-Oh was raised believing in equal education for both men and women.

In this Legacy Project, Young Song Kim shares his story with his son, Doug.

Fighting poverty and homelessness never stops for Jean Kim.

Born in 1935 in what is now North Korea, Jean Kim lived through the Japanese occupation and the Korean War, losing her language, family, and home.

With the opening of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in February of 2018, the second such event in Korea after the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, it would be timely to remember the very first Korean to win an Olympic medal.

Dr. Yoon Soo Park, recognized internationally for his research in science and technology, recalls the less public memories of his life during the Japanese occupation and the Korean War.

Civic activist Aiyoung Choi recounts her father escaping to China to avoid being forced to research new technologies for the Japanese war effort

In this week’s special episode of Korean American Story with 87.7 FM KRB, Queens residents Myung Hee Chun and Jin Hee Choi talk about their family’s rich tale of resilience during the Korean independence movement. Through their eyes, learn what it was like to be born and raised in Manchuria during the Japanese occupation, and live through the liberation period and Korean War.

Chung Yun Hoon, born in 1930, describes his childhood and family life in China, how seeing a picture of the Empire State Building inspired him to learn English.

Sungdo Park, born in 1933, gives an intimate look at the major events of his life.

Jwa Kyung Shin was born in 1914 in Korea. She was 100 years old at the time of the interview.

Mrs. Jungsook Choh was born in 1935 in Uhrae-Jin, Hamkyung-Namdo, which is now in North Korea.

Sulja Lee was born in Japan in 1942 during WWII and her family moved back to Korea after Korean independence from Japan in 1945.

Spoken word poetry by Lili Kim.