Every spring, my father plants eggplant seedlings. He always talks about my grandfather whenever he does. My grandfather was born in Hae Ju 해주시, Hwang Hae Province, a city located in North Korea, but during the Korean War, he was separated from his mother and siblings on his way to the South. He always said that he parted with his family when eggplant flowers bloomed. When he fled south, he used to eat raw eggplants to appease his hunger. He missed his family a lot but was not able to see them again. He passed away 10 years ago without fulfilling his dying wish of meeting his family. Whenever our family sees eggplant flowers bloom, we recall him having lived in the suffering and unresolved grief missing his family in North Korea.
As time goes, the number of family members living in South Korea who have been separated by the Korean War is decreasing. There were only 45,549 people registered as separated families in February 2022, which means that only 35% of them are alive. In addition, their age continues to increase. In the meantime, their pain is fading from our attention and memory and being forsaken by history. However, what caused the pain is still ongoing. The Korean War ended in July 1953 with an armistice but not with a peace treaty, meaning the North and South are still technically at war. In this sense, we are living in a time when the war would break out at any time. Regional battles such as the Battle of Yeonpyeong and the ROKS Cheonan sinking have occurred. If these events keep taking place, it is only a matter of time before war would break out again. In order to prevent such a tragedy, I think we should designate July 27 as Armistice Day, albeit a little late, but better than ever. I believe this would make people more aware of the current situation in Korea and more interested in the need for a peace treaty.
I believe peace should be made under the strong support from all generations.
Sumin Oh
One major reason why I think this way is that since the Korean War took place in our territory, it is somewhat embarrassing that we have not designated Armistice Day as a national holiday. In the U.S, National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day has already been commemorated on July 27 each year to recognize the 5.7 million veterans of the Korean War and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This day started to remember and recognize the peace treaty that brought about a cease-fire. On National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day people are encouraged to take some moments to respect the service and sacrifices of American troops during this conflict. As we commemorate the anniversary of the armistice ending the Korean War, it is imperative to remember the importance of ending hostilities between the two Koreas and the permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Another reason is that there is a high demand to educate future generations about the need for a unified Korea based on peace. According to a recent survey, the number of students who think unification is necessary is dropping. In 2020, 62.4% thought that unification is necessary, but the rate dropped to 61.2% in 2021. In addition, the percentage of students who think North Korea demand constant vigilance is increasing. Only 24.2% thought this way in 2020, but 27.1% concurred with the idea in 2021. Given the results of the statistics above, for younger generations, a unified Korea is a long way off. However, although older generations who went through the war think that North Korea is our enemy, they see the two Koreas as a single race. In this sense, there is a dire need to educate younger generations about the need for the unification of the two Koreas. Moreover, designating July 27 as a national holiday would be a good chance to make our people’s efforts for peace known to the world and draw more interest and sympathy for the situation between the two Koreas.
I think we can use social media to make people aware of the importance of ending the hostility between the two Koreas permanently.
Sumin Oh
In order to celebrate Armistice Day more effectively, there are several things we can do in various fields. First of all, many kinds of participatory programs could be made at school. On Armistice Day, students can learn many things by participating in the activities associated with the Korean War. For example, they can experience what it is like to be a separated family member. This will help students recognize the reality of Korean division and empathize with the pain of divided family members, which eventually makes them interested in the peaceful unification of North and South Korea. On top of that, we can capitalize on social media to make a difference. Nowadays an increasing number of younger generations are using various kinds of Social Networking Services (SNS) such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok as communication tools. For example, there are internet challenges which refer to a genre of viral social games in which people record themselves performing the same action and upload it on their SNS. One of the famous internet challenges is the Ice Bucket Challenge which is aimed to promote awareness of Lou Gehrig’s disease and encourage donations for research. Social media has played an integral role in spreading this challenge and increasing public awareness of the need for helping patients with such diseases. In this context, we can use social media to make people aware of the importance of ending the hostility between the two Koreas permanently.
I believe peace should be made under the strong support of all generations. By using the methods, I suggested above, we can make a difference even though the change is not so big. If we all make a great effort together, I am confident that the ceasefire made on July 27, 1953, will eventually give way to a peace treaty that opens a new era when separated family members are reunited before it is too late.
