themanyfaceasian

My paternal grandmother’s older brother was kidnapped by the north, and my maternal grandmother’s younger brother was killed in a bomb. Did your grandparents have ample time to evacuate? Or did they just pack whatever they can and flee?

Ooh I see. I think it may be Bucheon or Gwangmyeong or something else around that area. I’m also asking my parents about that period because unfortunately my grandparents can’t answer my questions. My grandparents are from Gangneung 강릉 and were fairly close to North Korea like your grandparents, and one of my mom’s aunts defected to the North bc she believed in communism and separated with her family that way.

Interesting! Do you mind me asking where your grandmother is from? It sounds like Seoul if she was just below Han river.

I heard that North Korean soldiers, when they came down, would target little kids especially boys and give them little chores to do and when completed would award them with fake stripes or badges to make them feel accomplished and lure them to their side. My mom said my grandma saw older boys act all tough and speak rudely to their elders just because they received those “stripes.”

What’s your favorite snack to eat and has it changed as you got older?