The Beginning and the End

War tends to put people on the edge of their seat, but not in Korea. Ever since the time of the Neolithic period in the Korean Peninsula, wars existed. Even when the Shilla dominated all competing tribes and unified the peninsular region in 676 AD, hundreds of civil war later broke out later on. All in all, peace in Korea became rare to see. Later on, the Japanese occupied Korea so they could use the country as a bridge to Manchuria, China. When World War II shimmered down, the Soviet Union and United States forces entered Korea to fight off the Japanese.  After a ‘good’ fight, the Japanese forces surrendered on September 9, 1945.  They decided that Korea should be split into two halves (North Korea and South Korea) but the Koreans, however, wanted to unite into one country which ultimately led to another war, the Korean War. North Korea decided force must be used to unite the two countries. Using advanced Soviet weapons, North Korea surprised South Korea by unfairly striking before dawn on June the 25th, 1950. The war continued to escalate as the United States came to help South Korea when things weren’t looking good. China then entered the war on October 25, 1950. After much fighting and trading of territories, there was a stalemate between 1951 and 1953. Eventually, a cease fire issued on July 27, 1953 temporarily settled the two Koreas, but technically, the war is not over. They are still under an armistice today and not a peace treaty.

Whether people long for more blood through wars or unification, one thing is for sure, something must happen to permanently settle the two brother countries of Korea. On Saturdays in Korean school, I learned many songs of unification that elders sing today. Despite the fact North Koreans attack South Koreans, some elders who lived during the occupation of Japan, believe unification is a must. On the other side, I learned about many historical battles Korea went through over the 5000 year period and how some people believe another battle for Korea is nothing so we should continue the war.

I once believed unification could answer all the problems. My grandfather escaped from North Korea during the Korean War and before he passed away couple of years ago, he shared many stories about his life to me. He once told me about his older brother, Duck Hee Yi and how he died. When his family lived in North Korea at that time, the North Korean government started forcing teenage boys to aid in the Korean War. His father decided to protect his two sons and escaped on a dangerous path. The family left everything behind to survive. When they somehow reached the South, they believed they found a safe haven, but the unavoidable truth swept by them.  Duck Hee Yi looked strong and old enough to aid during the war so the South Korean 
government drafted him. Forced to fight against his own friends and family in the war, he died.

After hearing the story, unification sounded like the best choice, but the video clips of the brain washed North Koreans make me question my choice. Different voices echo throughout Korea and like me, nobody knows which answers correct.