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Meet a Living Legend: Dr. Kim and His Marvelous Life

by Da-Hwee Kim, Editor-in-chief / Ji-Min Baek, Reporter (from the SM Herald)

elfnme@naver.com/pjm5875@naver.com

by Tae-Uck Kim, Editor-in-chief / Jeong-In Choi, Reporter (from the Sogang Herald)

ypyitu@sogang.ac.kr/jeong02@sogang.ac.kr

  Celebrating the month of Patriots and Veterans in June, The Sangmyung Herald and The Sogang Herald interviewed Dr. Kim Kyung-jin, a living legend who has undergone various events in Korea, including the Korean War. This interview progressed with the introduction of Professor Samuel A. Denny, Jr., who serves as the English adviser for all of the articles at The SM Herald. We had a good opportunity to interview him and worked in cooperation with The Sogang Herald. To introduce Dr. Kim briefly, he was born in the Japanese colony of Manchuria in the city that is now known as Changchun. He and his mother returned to Korea just as Japan was surrendering in August 1945 because the Russians had invaded Manchuria. When he was in Seoul, the North Koreans occupied Seoul at the outbreak of the Korean War. Accordingly, he has memories from when he met and interacted with North Korean Soldiers. After the War, he finished his education and worked as an English teacher at a high school. He also experienced and studied various majors. Currently, Dr. Kim is taking classes with Professor Samuel Denny at Sangmyung University’s Center for Continuing Education. From now on, we will look at his story and his connection with various historical events.

Picture of Dr. Kim

A Brief Explanation about the Month of Patriots and Veterans

  'Month of Patriots and Veterans' was designated for the first time in 1963 and is being implemented as a government-wide event. In the meantime, there have been many changes to the event's name and commemoration period. As it is the month designated by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to commemorate June, in which Memorial Day, the beginning of the Korean War on June 25th, and the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong on June 29th all took place, it can be said that it is a month to commemorate the martyrdoms and patriotic spirits and engrave their meaning in the heart. Therefore, various events and projects are being promoted in order to create a climate that respects national merit and patriots and to cultivate the spirit of love for the country among the people.

Dig into the Life of Dr. Kim

  Dr. Kim’s first encounter with North Korea was during the early stages of the Korean War, when the invader was making swift progress advancing southwards. He was in Seoul at the time, and because the North Korean forces were quick to capture the capital city—in a mere three days since they commenced the invasion—he, along with many others, was unable to evacuate the area in time. Dr. Kim recalls that one of the first and most obvious changes that occurred with the new leadership was school—classes no longer taught Korean, maths, science, or any other subject one may expect to be taught in school. Rather, every class of every day was devoted to making sure that students believed in the ‘correct’ values, and lectures had degenerated to propaganda.

Reporters from the SM Herald and the Sogang Herald having an interview with Dr. Kim

  Living conditions were outstandingly poor at the time. One day, Dr. Kim, due to an unknown illness, had been lying on the streets unconscious, when a North Korean soldier woke him up. Upon realizing that the young student was in poor health, the soldier brought a pill from his base and gave it to him, whispering “This is good stuff; it’s from America.” The same people that praised Kim Il-sung and the Communist party on the one hand were secretly using and appreciating Western goods on the other, a long tradition still to live on in present-day North Korea. Nevertheless, the soldier, upon finding out that Dr. Kim had talent in music, then took him to his base, offering him a position to teach the North Korean soldiers revolutionary and propaganda songs. Having no other option, Dr. Kim accepted the role, and, to this day, he still remembers the lyrics to the “Song of the Partisans” and the “Song of General Kim Il-sung.” 

  With the success of Operation Chromite in September 1950, Seoul would return to the hands of the Republic of Korea on September 28th. This was short-lived, however, as once China entered the war, the capital was to be lost again in January of the following year. This time, however, knowing the terror of Communist rule, people were eager to flee the city early on, amongst them being Dr. Kim. He moved to his uncle’s home in Andong, where he came across a group of US Military Police by chance. Though not fluent, he was able to speak a little English, which eventually led him to work with the US Military Police on translating road signs. Dr. Kim mentioned that the English-Japanese dictionary he had at the time came in particularly handy, as he knew Japanese relatively well. As the work progressed, he would slowly make his way back to the once-again liberated capital. The war had since fallen into a stalemate, until an armistice agreement was made. This was 70 years ago, and the country still remains divided. 

Picture of Dr. Kim and Professor Samuel A. Denny, Jr.

  War was to be no more, but during the years following the conflict, another enemy arose, this time from within. It was none other than President Syngman Rhee and his government. President Rhee, despite claiming to be a liberal democrat, was a corrupt dictator, one who would oppress anyone who was to get in his way. Though his misdeeds were plenty, perhaps the most well-known one—the final blow to his unstable leadership—was the March 1960 election fraud, which would ultimately lead to the April Revolution that brought an end to his presidency. On April 19, 1960, thousands of students who had become weary of the dictatorship and longed for a true democracy marched towards the presidential office, demanding that President Rhee step down from his position. A student of Korea University at the time, Dr. Kim had also participated in the march, and he was amongst those who were wounded by gunfire. As the demonstrations intensified, the police were authorized to shoot live rounds towards the crowd in order to keep the situation under control. In the end, Dr. Kim was one of the luckier ones to survive, as almost 200 were killed during the protests. Dr. Kim had been shot in his right arm, the wound still visible to this day. He specifically remembers the event that occurred whilst he was receiving emergency treatment at the National Medical Centre; just as he regained consciousness, he noticed intense arguing outside the room, which turned out to be between his doctor and the police who were trying to arrest him for his involvement in the protest march. He was only spared thanks to the Scandinavian doctors[1] who insisted that saving the patient’s life was a much higher priority.

[1] At the time, the National Medical Center was run by Scandinavian doctors, as the facility was mostly funded by the three Scandinavian nations, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

  Dr. Kim having experienced and witnessed so many salient events in Korea’s recent history, it is safe to say that he is living proof of the turmoil that occurred over the years on the Korean peninsula. Through this joint article between The Sangmyung Herald and The Sogang Herald, we wish to preserve his memories, and, in doing so, allow people of the present and future to reflect upon our past and remember and commemorate those who had devoted their lives to our country. 

Source:

https://edu.mpva.go.kr/learn/bohun/list.do

(All photos are taken by Da-Hwee Kim, Ji-Min Baek and Professor Samuel A. Denny, Jr.)