Tragic Memory

Tragic Memory

There was a war called the Korean War that occurred on June 25, 1950. The war is one of the most significant event in the history of Korea because it made Korea divided in two countries, North Korea and South Korea. The painful division affected on not only both countries but also many families and individuals' lives. Unfortunately, my grandparents who had lived in the northern area, which is now North Korea after the war, weren’t an exception. The war changed their whole life completely which was something they had never expected.

             The biggest sorrow, which the Korean War left behind, is separated families. Luckily, my grandmother was able to come to South Korea with her whole family. On the other hand, my grandfather was the only one who was able to escape from North Korea among his family members. All his other family members promised that they would meet again soon, but the promise was broken forever and could never be revised. My grandfather is in South Korea, but his family remained in North Korea ,so he doesn’t even know whether his family is still alive or not. In fact, there have been many search campaigns for separated families. That were supported by both two governments of North Korea and South Korea to find and reunite the separated families. My uncle, aunts, and my parents asked my grandfather to join the campaigns, but he always refused them. The reason was he could not be sure that his families’ safety after meeting with them because he doesn’t believe North Korean government. He thought that finding his family would put them in danger in case North Korea and South Korea ever had another conflict. My uncles, aunts, and my parents’ hearts are broken out because they can do nothing for him especially when he consoles himself by saying, no news is good news.

             As soon as the Korean war happened, every Korean had to run away and leave everything behind. People's property was devastated during the war. Until outbreak of the war, my grandparents had a bright future because they were very wealthy and well educated. Especially my grandfather, he used to read a bible in Latin and he speaks Japanese fluently and some English too. However, the future flew out of window by the Korean War. In addition, what they got after the war was only sterile, unfamiliar land that far away from hometown and dead bodies around. My grandparents had to suffer from the horrible situation. They were never able to get back their fancy life before the war, but they are always thankful for they survived. Often they talk to each other with sad smiles about how beautiful their houses were and wish to see them again someday before they die.

After the ceasefire agreement between North Korea and South Korea, in fact it has continued, many Koreans thought that the division wouldn’t last long. My grandmother’s family believed it firmly, and the evidence was the marriage of my grandparents. What they knew about each other was only where they lived before the war, but it was enough for them. Moreover, my grandmother said that her mother frequently reminded her that she had to marry a man who lived in the northern area so that they could go back home together after the war ends. Consequently, they could get permission of marriage from her parents without any problems even though my grandfather had no friends who could demonstrate what kind of person he is. If his hometown wasn’t the northern area of Korea, my grandparents would never get marry and I would not be here today.

             Even though the war end, my family and I can see that the war still means many things to my grandparents by where they live. They live in the closest area to North Korea, and they don’t even think of moving anywhere else. Moreover, the Korean War remains only a deep scar on both countries as every war does. It left not only a grave national loss but also individual’s horrible memory who went through the war. The only thing that could relieve the painful scar is a peaceful reunification of North and South Korea.