Letters to My Hometown

Keum Ja Park was born in Cheongpyeong, South Hamgyeong Province, to a family who made their living by farming. At a young age, her family was evicted from their home because what they owed in taxes was much more than what they could farm, and moved to Heungnam City. One day, soldiers approached Park’s home telling them to get evacuate the city; her mother initially said they couldn’t go until her father returned home from work. Upon realizing that he wouldn’t make it back by the time the final boat left, Park and her mother boarded a boat that was so packed that they had to find space in the top level of the ship. After a nauseating voyage, they arrived on Geoje Island, Gyeongsang Province, in the South. In 1995, Park and her mother made a visit to North Korea to see her father, flying first to Beijing to catch a layover into North Korea. They ran into delays while in Beijing, and so at the urging of their guide, a Korean Chinese woman whose sister had lived in the North, they bought food to bring into North Korea in case their families didn’t have enough to eat. When they finally landed in North Korea, reuniting with their family, Park was surprised by how effective the regime’s ideological indoctrination had been: despite reports that much of the country was starving, her family insisted that food was bountiful in the North. Her father had remarried, and so Park met her half-siblings for the first time as well. Although she had heard stories of reunions filled with tears, she herself did not cry, feeling strange in front of her father whom she had last seen when she was too young to remember. They would continue to stay in touch via short phone calls until her father passed.

This interview was filmed on July 19, 2023, in Pasadena, CA.

Myung Ki Min was born on March 10, 1940, near Haeju, Hwanghae Province. Growing up in a little village by the countryside, he lived with his family near a hill where, in spring, azaleas would bloom. He got along with his siblings, with whom he’d get into various shenanigans—including the one time they almost burned down his house. He had just started elementary school when the Korean War broke out, and although it wasn’t difficult for the family to decide to flee to the South, rumors circulated that moving in large groups would risk raising suspicions with the North Korean military; thus, he was told to head South with his mother and siblings, while his father would join them later. Before he left, however, his father told him to register their family to the Korean Red Cross, should they ever require organizational assistance in relocating their relatives. Min and his siblings never saw their father again after crossing the 38th, and he realizes that most family members he had in North Korea have likely passed away; before it’s too late, he hopes for the American and North Korean government to “put politics aside” so that they may hold humanitarian discussions on the topic of reuniting divided loved ones.

This interview was filmed on July 23rd, 2023, in Centreville, Virginia.

Sung Joo Kwon, 84 years old at the time of recording, was born in Unheung-ri, Hamheung, South Hamgyeong Province. His memories of his hometown are entangled with those of his oldest brother, Hyung Joo Kwon, from whom he remembers being gifted much love. He recounts how his brother loved classical music, playing recitals in community centers around Hamheung; he recounts, too, how his brother would take him up Banryongsan Mountain, for vocal exercises. Though he cannot play an instrument, he attributes his love for music, as well as his strong voice, to his brother. Soon after war broke out, Sun Joo and his brother were separated following the Heungnam Evacuation in December of 1950—what the UN had called a “3-day promise,” or the promise that families would only need to temporarily evacuate their homes, turned into a permanent separation. Sun Joo caught the last train out of Hamheung on December 23rd, 1950, then the last ship out of Heungnam, which took him to Goeje Island in Busan; afterwards, he moved to Seoul, where he lived for 38 years before moving to the United States in 1988. Stating that a hometown is one where a family had resided in for three generations, he wonders if his brother had children of his own, with whom he would be bound by blood. He hopes to meet them someday, reunite with his brother, and step foot in his hometown once more. This interview was filmed on July 19th, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Sang Chul Kim was born on September 4th, 1932 in Changyon, Hwanghae Province. The eldest son of his family, his memories of life in Korea revolve around his parents and his younger siblings; in particular, he recalls how it was his younger brother who took care of him, the older one, more. He holds a deep reverence for his parents, who he describes as parents anyone would be proud to have, and reminisces about his mother took care of him during his schoolboy days, before the war—he was unable to say farewell to his family when the war began, as he had to rush to the dock to board a fleeing boat. In 2000, he was given the opportunity to travel to North Korea by the Overseas Korean Committee where he was briefly reunited with his siblings; together, they spent a day in Sinuiju, North Korea, before traveling to Pyeongyang the next day. It has been over 20 years since he last saw his siblings in Korea, and he wishes for little more than to see his homeland reunified, and his own family reunited, so that his parents might rest in peace.

This interview was filmed on July 25th, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA.

Doh Kuk Kim was born on May 10th, 1941 in Sariwon, Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Growing up in Sariwon, he recollects a childhood filled with fond memories of friends, with whom he’d often climb nearby Jeongban Mountain to pick and eat azaleas, which grew in abundance up and down the mountainside. In first grade, he was designated the class president after dragging his neighborhood friends to school, encouraging them to register for classes; they’d start the days off by counting off in Russian. He’d come home from school to a loving father from whom he feels as though he received a “lifetime of love,” being the youngest child in the family. During the January Fourth Retreat, Kim, with his mother and a few siblings, left Sariwon for Seoul with the intent to return after a week, but as fighting continued, the separated family found itself living in the South with no hope of return. Kim, who realizes that by now the siblings he left in North Korea would have had children and families of their own, wishes for nothing but for them to remain healthy so that he might see them one day, on the soil of his hometown.”

This interview was filmed on July 30th, 2023 in Suwanee, GA.

Hyo Sun Yang was born in 1945 in Manwol, Kaesong City. Her father, a surgeon at Kaesong Provincial Hospital, continued his work there until the Korean War escalated. Hyo Sun recalls the hospital being a refuge for many during the war. At the war’s peak, her father was captured by the North Korean army, and she never saw him again. His fate remains unknown, leaving her hopeful yet uncertain, wishing for both his well-being and eternal peace. In response to growing political tensions, Hyo Sun, along with her mother and brother, relocated to South Korea. They eventually made their way to the U.S., where she and her brother now reside. This interview was filmed on July 19th, 2023 in Glendale, CA.

Hung Kyu Bang, a 95-year-old born in 1929 in Bangchon-dong, Pyongyang, carries vivid memories of his childhood and family despite the years. He fondly recalls his older sister, who cared for him during a severe illness at age 14. Although they were separated, with his sister remaining in North Korea, Bang visited Pyongyang in 2014, hoping to reunite. Tragically, he discovered that she had passed away. He reminisces about their walks to school, a one-hour journey during their elementary years. With deep historical awareness of the hardships during the Japanese occupation post-WWI, Bang advocates for the reunification of separated families and yearns for improved relations, including direct flights between the U.S. and Pyongyang, to strengthen family bonds across borders. This interview was filmed on July 14th, 2023 in Millbrae, CA.

Seung Suk Byun, born in 1929 in Hwanghae Province, North Korea, grew up in a poor farming family. Despite a strong desire for education, economic hardships forced him to leave school after the third year of middle school. He only continued his studies thanks to his uncle’s financial support, which included paying for his school fees and gifting him a bicycle.

The outbreak of the Korean War dramatically altered Mr. Byun’s life during his 6th-grade year. Faced with the chaos and danger of the conflict, Mr. Byun and his family had to make a desperate escape. Initially hiding in mountains and forests due to the lack of space on escape boats, Mr. Byun vividly recalls the perilous moments of hiding in manure to avoid detection. His eventual escape was fraught with danger; only by the aid of friends was he pulled to safety onto a boat after nearly being left behind, resulting in the loss of the only provisions he had, two packs of rice, due to the hasty departure.

Mr. Byun’s connection to North Korea remained strong through his family ties. He was in an arranged marriage with a woman who, during the war, became pregnant with another man’s child and gave birth to a daughter. While Mr. Byun escaped, his wife, pregnant at the time, stayed behind in North Korea. Tragically, she passed away at the age of 28. In 2005, Mr. Byun had the opportunity to return to North Korea, where he brought 2000 antibiotic pills and suitcases filled with gifts for his family, leaving behind everything but his clothes and a toothbrush for his return journey. His daughter remains in North Korea, maintaining the familial link to his homeland despite the geographical and political divide.

This interview was filmed on July 18th, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA

Ki Shin Lee, born July 5, 1934, in Haeju, Hwanghae-do, lived a life marked by the Korean War’s division. Fleeing during the 1951 January-Fourth Retreat, he left behind his parents and siblings, believing he’d never see them again. Risking return, he was captured by the Chinese army, last hearing from his father to escape southward. Decades later, in 1992, Lee discovered his parents were alive through a classmate who visited North Korea, overturning years of mourning. Emigrating to the US, he sought reunion, and in 1997, he met his sister and brother but couldn’t visit his hometown or his parents’ graves. Their thin, aged appearances at the reunion brought him to tears, highlighting North Korea’s harsh realities. This encounter in 1997 would be the last time Lee saw his family, maintaining a fragile connection through one or two letters a year, with each letter taking six months to reach him. Despite the pain and separation, Lee’s story is a plea for understanding and empathy towards the people of North Korea. His life, marked by loss, separation, and eventual partial reunion, underscores the human cost of geopolitical conflict and the deep-seated desire for family and homeland connection amidst adversity. Lee’s narrative is a powerful reminder of the personal stories behind historical events, urging a compassionate view of those on both sides of the Korean divide.

This interview was filmed on July 25th, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA.