A Korean independence movement led by Kim Gu 김구 was underway in China. Kim Gu was a Korean politician, educator, leader of the Korean Independence Movement against the Japanese occupation of Korea, and a reunification activist. At this time, Kim Il Sung 김일성 was also involved in communist activities, becoming a captain for the Soviet Red Army until the end of World War II in 1945.
Grandpa's father instructed him to go to China, but also that he should not meet with the communist movement of Kim Il Sung. Grandma was still in Kaechon and Grandpa was in Pyongyang, North Korea, waiting to go to China. Because his father knew that Grandpa would be leaving to China soon, his father thought it would be a wise idea to send Grandma to see Grandpa before he left. When she saw him for the first time since his departure for the navy, she saw him in the far back room of the house. She said he was not himself - he looked pitiful and didn't look like a human being. He had struggled so much that he didn't even seem happy to see her. Chunil, their first child, was still alive at this time. Grandpa shared with us that this was when our Aunt Younghee 영희 was conceived. Unfortunately, Chunil died before Aunt Youngee was born.
As he was anticipating his leave to China, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb in Hiroshima, and World War II ended. Korea was emancipated from Japanese rule and Grandpa did not have to escape to China. At the end of World War II, North and South Korea was divided by the 38th parallel north. From August 1945, North Korea was ruled by a Soviet Civil Authority established by the Soviet Army, previously known as the Red Army. South Korea was backed by the United States and Lee Seungman 이승만 became the very first president of South Korea.
After the end of World War II, Grandpa's father, Park Jongsik, escaped to South Korea with his second wife and family. Now that North Korea was under communist rule, possessions were being taken away from families. Many families began migrating to the south. Grandpa owned a western-style house (as opposed to a Korean traditional house) in North Korea. Grandpa worked in Pyongyang for "a long time", for a department store Pyongbaek 평백, before leaving to South Korea. I'm guessing it was about 5 years. It seems they left around 1950 or 1951. The North Korean attack on South Korea (Korean War), supported by Stalin, was underway, and bombs were falling everywhere. The family bought a boat to escape.
Grandpa first went to Seoul, then took his Grandma (Seunghyun Noh) and Grandpa (Euijeong Park), and then came back to North Korea to take Grandma, Younghee (Mike and Susie's mom), Changhyun (Danny and John's dad), and great grandma Moonchul Lee. They had been taking refuge in the country and mountains for months. As they were preparing to leave the next day, Grandpa arrived and the family was able to come down together.
On the way down, Aunt Younghee was shot in the arm - she was only 6 years old, and kept saying she couldn't go on anymore. Grandma was carrying a bag of rice and Uncle Changyun on her back, while great grandma Moonchul carried Aunt Younghee. They remember eating the South Korean soldiers' leftovers. When they had finished, they asked the soldiers to take them in their trucks, but because they were North Koreans, the soldiers wouldn't take them. Grandma said, even though they were North Koreans, they weren't communists but democrats. She remembers the arduous journey and the starvation. When asked how old she was, she said she was around my age, 25 years old.
She recalls their travels to Pusan, South Korea. They rode on top of a cargo train during the night and tied all their things to the roof. They were hungry, cold, tired and nauseous, but Grandma held everyone close and tried to keep them from falling off the train. The smoke from the train filled their lungs. She remembers trying to wake up Grandpa's brother (Sam's dad) to prevent him from falling. Although it was a cold night, they passed through a 2 kilometer tunnel and it became very warm, even hot, from all the smoke.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
World War II
Naturally, Grandpa proceeded to tell us his story beginning from the time he got married. "I struggled a lot in my lifetime," he said. Like Jacob, he traveled much and struggled much.
When he was 18 years old, he was arranged to be married to Grandma. Grandma and Grandpa's fathers were drinking buddies. Both their families were well respected, so it was natural for respected families to arrange their children to be married. In that generation, the children immediately obeyed whatever was decided by their fathers. The King's third son had a second family. The son from that second family was Grandma's grandfather (whew! see if you can figure that one out). Grandma didn't say which king, so I'll have to do more research.
Grandma and Grandpa had seen each other before their wedding date. Grandma had a picture of Grandpa that she kept with her and looked at before she went to bed, anticipating her marriage to him.
After they got married, about 1 to 2 years later, Grandpa went to serve for the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II. This must have been around 1940 during the occupation of Korea by the Japanese. During his service at the Jinhae Navy Base 진해시 (at the southern tip of South Korea), there was a Japanese drill instructor who treated Grandpa very well. This favoritism was probably because Grandpa's grandfather (Euijeong Park) would frequently meet this drill sergeant and buy him drinks (and give him money). One day, this drill sergeant called him to go out to the field - it must have been after the Pearl Harbor attacks, because the Americans were attacking Japan at this time, according to Grandpa. There had been bombings in Osaka, Japan. His two choices were either to go to war for Japan and die, or to escape and die. If it were a Korean war, he said he would not have tried to escape. But it didn't make sense for him to fight and risk his life for Japan, a country that was not even his.
To escape the Jinhae Navy Base, there was ocean on one side and mountain on the other that was guarded by soldiers. When it was around dusk, he escaped over the mountain during the dark. He stopped by a Korean household, told them he was on leave from the navy (he was still in his uniform) and asked for some food. Through the mountains, he escaped on foot from the southern tip of South Korea in Jinhae near Pusan all the way up to Pyongyang, the northwestern area in North Korea. I "google-d" it and it is about 523 km (325 miles).
At the time, Grandma had given birth to their first child named Chunil 천일 while Grandpa was in the navy, who died after a year old due to malnutrition. When he arrived in Pyongyang at a distant aunt's house, they were shocked to see him. He tried to keep it a secret from his father (Jongsik Park), but his relatives broke the news to his dad. His father said he had already known he had escaped through word of mouth from the police (Grandma chimed in and said that his father was well-educated and had many connections). Grandpa's father suggested that he escape to China where there were many Koreans who immigrated to China participating in the independence movement from Japan.
When he was 18 years old, he was arranged to be married to Grandma. Grandma and Grandpa's fathers were drinking buddies. Both their families were well respected, so it was natural for respected families to arrange their children to be married. In that generation, the children immediately obeyed whatever was decided by their fathers. The King's third son had a second family. The son from that second family was Grandma's grandfather (whew! see if you can figure that one out). Grandma didn't say which king, so I'll have to do more research.
Grandma and Grandpa had seen each other before their wedding date. Grandma had a picture of Grandpa that she kept with her and looked at before she went to bed, anticipating her marriage to him.
After they got married, about 1 to 2 years later, Grandpa went to serve for the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II. This must have been around 1940 during the occupation of Korea by the Japanese. During his service at the Jinhae Navy Base 진해시 (at the southern tip of South Korea), there was a Japanese drill instructor who treated Grandpa very well. This favoritism was probably because Grandpa's grandfather (Euijeong Park) would frequently meet this drill sergeant and buy him drinks (and give him money). One day, this drill sergeant called him to go out to the field - it must have been after the Pearl Harbor attacks, because the Americans were attacking Japan at this time, according to Grandpa. There had been bombings in Osaka, Japan. His two choices were either to go to war for Japan and die, or to escape and die. If it were a Korean war, he said he would not have tried to escape. But it didn't make sense for him to fight and risk his life for Japan, a country that was not even his.
To escape the Jinhae Navy Base, there was ocean on one side and mountain on the other that was guarded by soldiers. When it was around dusk, he escaped over the mountain during the dark. He stopped by a Korean household, told them he was on leave from the navy (he was still in his uniform) and asked for some food. Through the mountains, he escaped on foot from the southern tip of South Korea in Jinhae near Pusan all the way up to Pyongyang, the northwestern area in North Korea. I "google-d" it and it is about 523 km (325 miles).
At the time, Grandma had given birth to their first child named Chunil 천일 while Grandpa was in the navy, who died after a year old due to malnutrition. When he arrived in Pyongyang at a distant aunt's house, they were shocked to see him. He tried to keep it a secret from his father (Jongsik Park), but his relatives broke the news to his dad. His father said he had already known he had escaped through word of mouth from the police (Grandma chimed in and said that his father was well-educated and had many connections). Grandpa's father suggested that he escape to China where there were many Koreans who immigrated to China participating in the independence movement from Japan.
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Park origins
Where was Grandpa born?
Korea was divided into eight provinces during the Chosun/Joseon 조선 dynasty which lasted from 1392 – 1897, approximately five centuries. One of those provinces was called Pyongan, located in the northwest of North Korea. In this diagram below, you will see Pyongan colored in pink at the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital of Pyongan was Pyongyang which is currently the capital of North Korea to date.
In 1896, the Pyongan province was divided into North and South Pyongan. Grandpa was born in South Pyongan indicated in pink in the diagram below. He was born in the city of Kaechon 개천 on March 23, 1920.
FUN FACT: Grandpa is actually 5 years older than what is said on his license here in the United States. He is currently 90. His birth year was changed on his records when they were refugees escaping North Korea.
You might remember from my last posting that the Park last name came from the Miryang clan. There are many different clans with the same last name. The Miryang clan is the most common of the Park last name; approximately 77% of all Parks are from this clan. However, Miryang is actually a city in the province of South Gyeongsang 경상남도 which was also one province of the eight provinces in the Chosun dynasty. Grandpa says that the Parks were exiled from Miryang to South Pyongan and that is how his family ended up there.
Grandpa remembers when he was 7 years old being taken by his grandfather, who was also the first son in his family, to the ancestral burial grounds to perform the ancestral rites 제사. This was when he learned about his ancestors through oral tradition.
In America, after the death of our great grandmother Moonchul Lee, Grandpa wanted to make it a point to take his grandchildren, Danny (who is the eldest son of Grandpa's eldest son) and John, and whoever could, to her burial ground because this was what he learned to do from his childhood. Regrettably, he was not able to do this in the last 3 years. He expressed, "죽으면 끝나는구나," which means, "Death is it" or "Death is the end." He feels he cannot expect it of others if he cannot do it himself. Yet, at the same time, he sees God who is the God in control of the universe and who is the God of Abraham and his family line, is the same God who is in control of our family - from great grandma Moonchul to the new generations to come.
Korea was divided into eight provinces during the Chosun/Joseon 조선 dynasty which lasted from 1392 – 1897, approximately five centuries. One of those provinces was called Pyongan, located in the northwest of North Korea. In this diagram below, you will see Pyongan colored in pink at the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital of Pyongan was Pyongyang which is currently the capital of North Korea to date.
In 1896, the Pyongan province was divided into North and South Pyongan. Grandpa was born in South Pyongan indicated in pink in the diagram below. He was born in the city of Kaechon 개천 on March 23, 1920.
FUN FACT: Grandpa is actually 5 years older than what is said on his license here in the United States. He is currently 90. His birth year was changed on his records when they were refugees escaping North Korea.
You might remember from my last posting that the Park last name came from the Miryang clan. There are many different clans with the same last name. The Miryang clan is the most common of the Park last name; approximately 77% of all Parks are from this clan. However, Miryang is actually a city in the province of South Gyeongsang 경상남도 which was also one province of the eight provinces in the Chosun dynasty. Grandpa says that the Parks were exiled from Miryang to South Pyongan and that is how his family ended up there.
Grandpa remembers when he was 7 years old being taken by his grandfather, who was also the first son in his family, to the ancestral burial grounds to perform the ancestral rites 제사. This was when he learned about his ancestors through oral tradition.
In America, after the death of our great grandmother Moonchul Lee, Grandpa wanted to make it a point to take his grandchildren, Danny (who is the eldest son of Grandpa's eldest son) and John, and whoever could, to her burial ground because this was what he learned to do from his childhood. Regrettably, he was not able to do this in the last 3 years. He expressed, "죽으면 끝나는구나," which means, "Death is it" or "Death is the end." He feels he cannot expect it of others if he cannot do it himself. Yet, at the same time, he sees God who is the God in control of the universe and who is the God of Abraham and his family line, is the same God who is in control of our family - from great grandma Moonchul to the new generations to come.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The family tree
We had explained that more and more of the newer generations will likely not be able to understand very much Korean, and this project is a way of passing down their legacy. The interview started with Grandpa wanting to emphasize the importance of learning Korean, that this interview was not an excuse for us to not learn Korean. With the new marriages to come, he wanted everyone to understand that we have a responsibility to learn Korean as well as those getting married to learn the language of their in-laws.
With that preface out of the way, Grandma eagerly asked us to get on with our questions. So, my first question was: what are your Korean names and what do they mean?
Grandpa: Bongho Park (박봉호) - Grandpa's last name is Park of the Miryang (밀양) clan. His first name is divided into two characters that come from Chinese characters. Bong 鳳 which is a type of bird like a phoenix and Ho 浩 which means wide or covering a large expanse.
Grandma: Ilsoon Lee (이일순) - FUN FACT: Grandma's real name is actually Soonil Lee (이순일) and was changed around when she came to the United States. When we asked her why that happened, she said it was because our uncles didn't know much English and when the paperwork was filled out that way, it was changed. Her first name is also divided into two characters. Il 一 which means first or one and Soon 順 which means gentle or good-natured.
I then asked, what are the names of your parents?
The familial line is carried on by the father of the household. The wives did not usually take on the husband's last name, but the children did. I will list the husband first, then the wife.
Grandpa's parents' names were: Jongsik Park (박종식) and Moonchul Lee (이문철).
We better know great grandma Moonchul as our great grandmother who lived until age 104 (correct me if I'm wrong). Grandpa wanted us to emphasize that she is the true first generation of our family that immigrated to the United States. Her brother's name was Moonsam Lee (이문삼). Grandpa is unable to remember his maternal grandparents' names.
Now, his paternal grandparents' names were Euijeong Park (박의정) and Seunghyun Noh (노승현). Grandpa's father Jongsik Park had a second wife and family that he lived with. So, most of Grandpa's upbringing was with his mother and his paternal grandparents.
Grandma's parents names were: Imha Lee (이임하) and Hwaksil Kim (김확실). She doesn't remember any other names of her grandparents. Her father was adopted into his uncle's family because they couldn't have any children. That is the extent to which we know at this time and hopefully we can go into more detail later.
With that preface out of the way, Grandma eagerly asked us to get on with our questions. So, my first question was: what are your Korean names and what do they mean?
Grandpa: Bongho Park (박봉호) - Grandpa's last name is Park of the Miryang (밀양) clan. His first name is divided into two characters that come from Chinese characters. Bong 鳳 which is a type of bird like a phoenix and Ho 浩 which means wide or covering a large expanse.
Grandma: Ilsoon Lee (이일순) - FUN FACT: Grandma's real name is actually Soonil Lee (이순일) and was changed around when she came to the United States. When we asked her why that happened, she said it was because our uncles didn't know much English and when the paperwork was filled out that way, it was changed. Her first name is also divided into two characters. Il 一 which means first or one and Soon 順 which means gentle or good-natured.
I then asked, what are the names of your parents?
The familial line is carried on by the father of the household. The wives did not usually take on the husband's last name, but the children did. I will list the husband first, then the wife.
Grandpa's parents' names were: Jongsik Park (박종식) and Moonchul Lee (이문철).
We better know great grandma Moonchul as our great grandmother who lived until age 104 (correct me if I'm wrong). Grandpa wanted us to emphasize that she is the true first generation of our family that immigrated to the United States. Her brother's name was Moonsam Lee (이문삼). Grandpa is unable to remember his maternal grandparents' names.
Now, his paternal grandparents' names were Euijeong Park (박의정) and Seunghyun Noh (노승현). Grandpa's father Jongsik Park had a second wife and family that he lived with. So, most of Grandpa's upbringing was with his mother and his paternal grandparents.
Grandma's parents names were: Imha Lee (이임하) and Hwaksil Kim (김확실). She doesn't remember any other names of her grandparents. Her father was adopted into his uncle's family because they couldn't have any children. That is the extent to which we know at this time and hopefully we can go into more detail later.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The visit
On Saturday, Jiea and I (Lois) met with the grandparents at their senior apartment in Garden Grove. When I had given them a call a few days prior explaining our intentions and that we'd bring lunch, Grandpa immediately told me to bring hamburgers and nothing fancy. "Save your money," he said. What better way to save money than to bring homemade food! So, I prepared some kalgooksoo broth at home and served this traditional noodle dish with kimchi.
Grandma was so excited, as was Grandpa in a more nonchalant way. Ever since Dave and I came to California in 2007, the grandparents have told us they wanted hamburgers for lunch. We soon caught on that it wasn't their love for hamburgers but their love for their grandchildren that spurred them to tell us that this was their favorite dish. To them, it was the cheapest option. The trick was, of course, to say we'd bring hamburgers but surprise them with something else.
In the kitchen, Grandma stood around looking to help. "Wow~! Look Grandpa, they brought seafood," she exclaimed, laughing and clapping her hands. When we told her why we were there, she was ecstatic to share what she remembered as we stood in the kitchen preparing lunch.
After lunch, Grandma sliced some oranges, and we set-up the camera to start the interview. Grandpa quickly caught on and jokingly said, "These girls, they buttered us up with noodles and now they're interrogating us." The full interview lasted about 3.5 hours including some lecturing, family history and Q&A from questions Jiea had obtained from some family members on her way there.
I want to do an accurate job of transcribing our family history in relation to our world events at the time, so it will take some time. At first, Grandpa was reluctant to share, but when Jiea and I had explained our intention to pass down our history for the next generations, they obliged.
Grandma was so excited, as was Grandpa in a more nonchalant way. Ever since Dave and I came to California in 2007, the grandparents have told us they wanted hamburgers for lunch. We soon caught on that it wasn't their love for hamburgers but their love for their grandchildren that spurred them to tell us that this was their favorite dish. To them, it was the cheapest option. The trick was, of course, to say we'd bring hamburgers but surprise them with something else.
In the kitchen, Grandma stood around looking to help. "Wow~! Look Grandpa, they brought seafood," she exclaimed, laughing and clapping her hands. When we told her why we were there, she was ecstatic to share what she remembered as we stood in the kitchen preparing lunch.
After lunch, Grandma sliced some oranges, and we set-up the camera to start the interview. Grandpa quickly caught on and jokingly said, "These girls, they buttered us up with noodles and now they're interrogating us." The full interview lasted about 3.5 hours including some lecturing, family history and Q&A from questions Jiea had obtained from some family members on her way there.
I want to do an accurate job of transcribing our family history in relation to our world events at the time, so it will take some time. At first, Grandpa was reluctant to share, but when Jiea and I had explained our intention to pass down our history for the next generations, they obliged.
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