Precious Assets

“Your language is banned from now on. You can’t speak your language any more. Your name also must be changed.”  This is what Koreans were told by Japanese rulers about a hundred years ago. During The Japanese Imperial Period, the Japanese tried everything they could to destroy Korean culture and spirit for thirty five years. Undoubtedly, Koreans couldn’t accept any of this complete nonsense. Thus, hundreds and thousands of Koreans took part in numerous anti-Japanese uprisings and protests, and my grandfather was one of them. He also got arrested, tortured and sent to prison for a few years by Japanese officers. Eventually, Korea became independent, and the Korean government nominated him as a Patriot and promised benefits for him and his family. Today, even though my grandfather is not with us any more, priceless assets he left for my family and me have given us tremendous support. 

The first asset from him is hope. My father, who had been a very successful businessman, got paralyzed after a fatal car crash when I was ten years old. My big sister was twelve, and little sister was six. It devastated my whole family. We were required to give up our decent lifestyle overnight and just had to survive by making ends meet. Because my mother had to attend to my father day and night, she couldn’t go to work, which meant no one in my family was able to make money. As a result, we had to sell our house and move to another place and then another. I still remember the day we moved out of our two-story brick house with a beautiful garden full of flowers and trees such as pomegranate, persimmon, and quince. All seemed lost, and we wailed holding each other. However, we didn’t lose our hope, and it turned into an education. One of the promised benefits from the Korean government to my grandfather was that his children and grandchildren could go to school for free, including any college of our choice. Although we had hardly anything in our hands, we didn’t despair because we had a hope that a good education for each of us would save our shattered lives.

  

Accomplishment is another valuable asset my grandfather left for us. Because my sisters and I knew we were able to go to any colleges we wanted only if we got accepted, we studied very hard. In high school, we went to school by 7:30 in the morning and came home at midnight. My mom used to make a lunch box and dinner box for each of us every morning. Fortunately, we all got great results and accepted to good colleges. After graduation, my big sister became a music teacher and my younger became a doctor. I also became a teacher after graduating from one of the most expensive private colleges in Korea. Then, my father passed away. It was exactly twenty years after the accident. Although my father had a very lonely life in bed, hundreds of people who are mostly friends and colleagues of mine and my sisters’ attended his funeral with big and small bouquets of white chrysanthemums to say farewell to him. I’m sure it gave him a sense of accomplishment as a parent of his three daughters watching all the guests on his way.

The greatest asset we received from my grandfather is pride. Today in Korea, there are many people who are very wealthy because they inherited huge amounts of money from their fathers who had acquired properties by collaborating with the Japanese colonial administration. They may be living a good life with the assets they got, but they’ll never be able to tell anyone about what their fathers or grandfathers did when our country was in turmoil. On the contrary, my family and I always love to talk with people about what my grandfather did in the past because we’re so proud of him. He was one of the extremely brave people who devoted themselves to the country so that their descendants could still speak Korean and don’t have to be Sato or Nakamura. Without them, Korea would be nothing but a part of Japanese territory now. 

Sometimes I think what could have happened if my grandfather had chosen to be a compliant citizen with the Japanese rulers. He might have had much easier and more comfortable life. However, my family and I wouldn’t have been able to have his legacies of hope, accomplishment, and pride, which have been a constant light in the darkness in our lives. Now, I guess it’s my turn. It’s time for me to turn my head toward the next generation and think about what kind of legacy I will be able to leave for them.