By Honorary Reporter Vincent L. Apa III from U.S.

Photos= Vincent L. Apa III

My father-in-law, 91, served in the Republic of Korea Army after he fled Pyeongyang in 1950. As the oldest son of a wealthy family, he was told by his parents to leave his siblings and return in a couple of weeks. That never happened and he never spoke or heard from anyone in his family again.

I've heard this story so many times and seen firsthand the black-and-white photos of separated Korean families at his apartment. They are touching and tragic, to say the least, if you've never seen pictures like them.

Five years while we were visiting my in-laws in Seoul, he sat at the kitchen table with my wife, her sister and I and just started talking about the war for the first time to them. This brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. My mother-in-law also fled Pyeongyang with her two sisters to Seoul, where she met her husband after a few years. Their first date was going to see a Charlie Chaplin movie. They've been married for over 60 years and raised four kids back when it wasn't easy. I have so much respect for any immigrant or refugee and never take life for granted.

I'll refrain from sharing the details he discussed from the war, but will say no war is pleasant and the suffering is incomprehensible. Often the hardest parts is how families are split and children become orphans. The pictures below are from a museum in Seoul that documents orphan documents and stories. History, however, shows how quickly Koreans set up makeshift schools to educate their children, and I believe it paid off.

My father-in-law was fortunate not to spend much time on the front line, and later played in the military marching band. He was a talented musician who played the clarinet, the accordion and the piano. One photo below shows him playing with a jazz band on KBS News after the war ended.

Koreans have suffered through not only the Korean War, but centuries of invasions by other countries that wanted to seize this tiny yet strategic peninsula. I've seen old maps when Korea occupied a large part of northeastern China that has changed hands numerous times over the last 5,000 years.

These photos show the complex history of a wonderful country. Let's hope the two Korea are peacefully reunified one day.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.