[명작다큐] 한국전쟁 참전을 위해 바다를 건너온 재일동포 642명의 선택 | KBS파노라마 '아버지의 나라'

KBS Panorama “Father's Country - The Choice of Korean Youth in Japan” (Broadcast on June 6, 2013) When the Korean War broke out in 1950, young Koreans in Japan rushed to volunteer for the war. What they traded their youth for was a hellish battlefield and a "father's country" they had never been to. What did these 642 young men choose? What was the significance of this life-changing choice? ■ "Father's Country" Chosen in Youth Lee Seon-wook followed his father, who was drafted into the military, to Japan at the age of three. After graduating from a Japanese railway school and working as a railway track designer, he heard of the outbreak of the Korean War and decided to join the army. Nine years after his marriage, at the age of 28, Lee Seon-wook left his wife and child behind and chose a battlefield in a country he had no memory of. He wasn't alone. 642 young Koreans in Japan abandoned their studies, careers, and families to cross the Korea Strait. Most were students from prestigious universities and elite young men who had enjoyed a peaceful existence, untouched by war. They abandoned their stable present and guaranteed future, choosing "the land of their fathers," a place they had never visited before, and that choice completely changed their lives. ■ Crossroads of Survival In September 1950, young Koreans in Japan crossed the Korea Strait and landed in Incheon. For these young men, who had received only three days of training at a US military base in Japan without military ID or rank, the battlefield was a living hell. For those born and raised in Japan, language barriers were a matter of survival. Most of them could only speak Korean, with words like "father" and "mother." They went into battle with a single-minded determination to protect their country, but some, unable to understand retreat orders, fell into battle and died. Ultimately, 135 young Koreans in Japan died in their "land of their fathers." ■ Those Left Behind For the young men who miraculously survived, another crossroads awaited them. In April 1952, Japan, which had regained sovereignty with the entry into force of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, refused to allow the re-entry of young men who had left without permission. 242 young men were unable to return to Japan and were left behind in Korea. Cho Seung-bae, who was discharged from the military in May 1952, was also unable to return to Japan by a few days. Although an elite student at Meiji University, he abandoned his studies and enlisted in the war as the youngest member of the military. In Japan, he had his school and family waiting for him. He waited in Busan with the other young men left behind in Korea for permission to enter the country, but he was unable to return to his family, nor was he able to be present for his parents' deathbed. Kim Un-tae, who participated in the Incheon Landing Operation in September 1950, was also one of the young men who was unable to return to Japan. When he left Japan, he had a three-year-old daughter and a pregnant Japanese wife. At the time of his enlistment, he never imagined he would never see his family again. Unable to return, he settled in Korea and has not known the whereabouts of his family for 63 years. A single old photograph of his daughter Miyoko, taken before the war, is the only image he remembers of his family. ■ The Meaning of a Choice Traded for Youth Of the 642 soldiers, a youth more beautiful than flowers, one-third completed their mission and returned to their families in Japan, but one-third perished, and one-third ultimately failed to return. Had they not fought in the war, they would have graduated from prestigious schools, found good jobs, and lived happily with their families. Their youthful choices exacted a heavy toll. They were left alone in Korea, with no connections or a language barrier. They had dedicated their youth to protecting their country, but what remained was a harsh life in their "father's country." Surviving was fortunate, but not being able to return was unfortunate. Lee Seon-wook, discharged before Japan regained sovereignty, now lives in Japan. He donates the 880,000 won in veterans' pension he receives from the South Korean government every month to an orphanage in Tongyeong. He was struck by the countless war orphans he met during the war. His final wish was to be buried in Korea, even after his death. What does "father's country" mean to him, who emigrated to Japan at the age of three, giving up his peaceful youth for a country he barely remembers, and who now uses even that compensation for Korea? What is the significance of the choices made by Cho Seung-bae, who was unable to be with his parents in their final moments, Kim Un-tae, who was unable to see his family for 63 years, and countless other young Koreans in Japan, who traded their youth for theirs? ※ Watch related video 63 Years of Longing, My Daughter Miyoko    • [명작다큐] 63년의 그리움, 내 딸 미요코 - 한국...