First and foremost, welcome to my blog!
As the header of my blog states, this blog will be updated quite frequently in the next few months as I post updates for my project dealing with how the Korean War has effected me. It is not so much a political project, but rather a project reflecting my anguish, desires, curiosity, and feelings that I do not know how to name in regards to the situation that has concluded the Korean War of 1950-53.
Though for many, especially in my generation, the Korean War is a thing of the past, an event read about in history books, for me, it is something that continually lingers and pains me. I'm sure that amongst those reading this, that even some of my closest friends do not understand why and or how something that occurred 34 years before my birth could effect me so gravely, so I'll explain why.
Both sets of my grandparents grew up in areas currently located in North Korea. At the end of the war, all four of them luckily ended up below the 38th parallel, however that cannot be said about all of their family members. Though I have not had the opportunity to speak with my grandparents on my mother's side, I do know that from my father's side, my grandfather was separated from all of his family members. Siblings and parents--all of whom he's had to live for the past 50+ years wondering if they survived the war. My grandmother was an only child, separated from her parents as they fled north into Manchuria, and she fled south to Jeju Island. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it must have been and continues to be for their generation and those who have had to part with their family, loved ones, and previous lives.
As for me, the third generation since the war, or the second generation born after the war, though I cannot say that every minute of my life is spent in anguish for those in the North and families split apart by the war, I can say that I cannot help but to wonder about my relatives and what the lives they are leading must be like. When I pray, I pray for their health, their state of mind, and since I know that all of my grandparents were Christians from before the war, I pray for their safety as I hope that they continue to keep the faith. I wonder if I have cousins my age and what they are doing. With each news update on Kim Jong Il and the DPRK, I realize how lucky I am to have grown up in the US, but it only ends with a bitter taste in my tongue as I think of my family.
Before I begin my paintings, I have begun reading a couple books as a part of my research. The first is Art Under Control in North Korea, and the second is The Hidden People of North Korea: Everyday Life in the Hermit Kingdom. I am on the last chapter of the first book, and a few sections into the latter...my next post will have more information regarding the things I have learned from my readings.
Thanks for reading, and come back often to check my progress! Also, if you have any suggestions or interesting links, that you think might be beneficial to me, please leave it in the comment box!
