[명작다큐] 63년의 그리움, 내 딸 미요코 - 한국전쟁 참전후 일본으로 돌아가지 못한 재일학도의용군, 딸을 찾아 나서다

KBS Panorama “63 Years of Longing, My Daughter Miyoko” (Aired July 25, 2013) Kim Un-tae, who fought in the Korean War as a member of the Zainichi Student Volunteer Army, was unable to return to Japan even after the war ended, and longed for his three-year-old daughter Miyoko, whom he had left behind. In April 2013, he finally returned to Japan after 63 years, but Miyoko's whereabouts were unknown. Kim Un-tae's wish was to hear Miyoko's voice calling him "Dad" just once more... ■ Choosing a Battlefield in an Unfamiliar Homeland In September 1950, 642 Zainichi Korean youths enlisted in the Korean War. To protect their unfamiliar homeland, they had to give up their secure lives in Japan. However, facing their country's peril, they were unafraid. They received three days of training at a US military base in Japan and crossed the Genkai Strait. These men, who dedicated their youth to protecting their country, are the Zainichi Student Volunteer Army. Their choice came with a harsh price. More people were unable to return to Japan than those who did. 135 lost their lives on the battlefield, and 242 were unable to return to their families in Japan. Japan, which had regained sovereignty with the entry into force of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, refused to allow the young men who had left without permission to re-enter. Ultimately, these young Koreans in Japan were left alone in Korea, with no connections or language barriers. ■ Protecting Their Country and Losing Their Family Kim Un-tae, who went to Japan for higher education at the age of 16, was unable to return to Korea after liberation and settled in Niigata. When he heard news of the war and decided to join the army, he had a Japanese wife and young daughter. He chose to protect his country over his own life and family. In September 1950, he participated in the Incheon Landing Operation, and in December, he returned to Japan with American soldiers. However, in March 1951, he volunteered once more and headed to the Korean battlefield. That departure from Japan was the last time he saw his family. He could no longer see Miyoko, who was barely three years old, or his heavily pregnant wife, who was expecting her second child. He waited for three years, believing he would be able to return, but he never did. He didn't know if his wife had given birth, whether his second child was a boy or a girl, or how Miyoko was doing. Dozens of letters he had sent to Japan went unanswered. Sixty-three years had passed. In his memories, Miyoko was still three years old, and he had to appease the longing he felt for her with only the black-and-white photograph he had brought with him when he left for Japan. ■ Returning to Niigata after 63 Years in Search of Family In April 2013, Kim Un-tae set out to find Miyoko, inspired by Mindan's invitation to Japan. Financial difficulties and the guilt he felt for his remarried family had kept him from visiting her. Finally, on his way to Niigata after 63 years, Kim Un-tae's heart trembled with anticipation of finding Miyoko. But the Niigata he returned to was no longer the Niigata of his memories. Using Miyoko's date of birth as a clue, he applied for information, only to be told he was ineligible. The problem was that there was no record of him having left Japan 63 years ago. Hope had turned to despair, and he had no other option. He lingered in front of his old house for a while before turning back. ■ Will Kim Un-tae and Miyoko ever meet again? On June 16, 2013, Kim Un-tae's story was broadcast across Japan. After his story was broadcast on KBS Panorama, "Father's Country - The Choice of Korean Youth in Japan," on June 6, 2013, the Asahi Shimbun interviewed him. The Asahi Shimbun report was the last hope for finding Miyoko. However, a month after the report, there were no reports of Miyoko. Meanwhile, a woman claiming to be Miyoko visited the Asahi Shimbun in Japan. Could she be the Miyoko Kim Un-tae had longed for for 63 years? [KBS Panorama] accompanied Kim Un-tae on his search for his family. Kim Un-tae now longs to hear Miyoko's voice again, calling her "Dad." Will he ever meet her again? The story of Kim Un-tae, who longed for 63 years and a lifetime but never met her, unfolds. ※ Watch related video Father's Country - The Hellish War and Misery Chosen by Korean Youth in Japan    • [명작다큐] 한국전쟁 참전을 위해 바다를 건너온 재일동포 642명의 선택 |...