Korean War and the People
Three to four million innocent civilians were killed, wounded, or missing during the three years of Korean War (1950-1953). It broke out on June 25th when Soviet-backed North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel boundary and invaded the pro-Western South. An armistice was eventually signed after continuous fighting, but it was an uneasy peace. The Korean peninsula is still divided today and tensions remain. The consequences were devastating to the people. The war separated families, killed many civilians, and left psychological after-effects to the people who survived it.
As a result of the war, many families and friends were separated. According to recent media reports on reunions of families in Korea, an estimate of one million people from the North moved to the South during the early stages of the war. Many of them expected to return after the war ended. So they left behind not only their property, but also their relatives and friends. However, tension still remains in the Korean peninsula even though an armistice was signed. As a result, North Korea closed it borders, preventing dispersed family members to unite. Having no way to contact each other, the families have been divided for over six decades already.
Many innocent lives were lost during to the war. For three years, there were regular overhead bombing raids and battles on the streets. Nearly five million people died and more than half of them were civilians. The target of the bombings were not only military bases, but civilians as well. Entire villages were burned down and planes strafed people at random. The South Korean military killed civilians out of fear that they would help the Communists invading from the North. On the other hand, the North Koreans killed people who did not accept communist ideals. The refugees were the greatest victims of the war.
People who survived the war suffered from deep psychological trauma. The appalling memories resurfaced from time to time and they were oppressed by nightmares. Many experienced emotional numbness, the sense that things around them are not real. They suffered from memory problems, hopelessness, and difficulty concentrating. They avoided once enjoyable activities. Also, personal relationships were affected. Survivors kept people at a distance and did not try to meet new people. Moreover, in order to avoid the pain of the trauma, they often turned to drugs and alcohols.
Korean War had a tremendous effect on the people. It separated families for over six decades, killed many, and made survivors suffer from psychological disorders. More than six decades have passed after the Korean War, but the conflict in the Korean peninsula has not been solved yet. The country is still divided into two, and tensions remain. Moreover, families and close friends are still separated. However, the North and South Korean governments recently sponsored reunions which brought together some of the divided families. As such, governments are communicating with each other. Could this be the beginning of peace talks? Koreans are starting to feel a little hope.
To Sharon Jeon from Yujin Lee
ReplyDeleteHi, I found your writing very interesting and please let me give you my feedback^^*
1. The introduction includes a general thesis that defines the cause and effects; the war separated families, killed many civilians, and left psychological after-effects to the people who survived it.
2. The three body paragraphs contain each topic sentence that defines a specific result of the Korean War. In the first body paragraph, the topic sentence is ‘As a result of the war, many families and friends were separated.’ And in the second body paragraph, the topic sentence is ‘Many innocent lives were lost during to the war.’ In the last body paragraph, the topic sentence is ‘People who survived the war suffered from deep psychological trauma.
3. I think the cause and effect relationships are well explained in a logical way. For instance, in the first body paragraph, the families are separated because the tensions of war remained, preventing the families from reunifying. And in the second body paragraph, many civilians were dead because of the random attacks from military. In the third body paragraph, since the people could not get rid of the terrible memories related to the war, they suffered from psychological trauma.
4. I can see several connectors which show cause and effect. For example, the first body paragraph includes ‘As a result of’ and ‘as a result’.
5. In the conclusion, there is a part which restates the cause and effects; Korean War had a tremendous effect on the people. It separated families for over six decades, killed many, and made survivors suffer from psychological disorders.
6. I think there is a reflection in the conclusion; as such, governments are communicating with each other. Could this be the beginning of peace talks? Koreans are starting to feel a little hope.
Thank you^^*
1. Yes. The war separated families, killed many civilians, and left psychological after-effects to the people who survived it.
ReplyDelete2. Yes.
-As a result of the war, many families and friends were separated.
-Many innocent lives were lost during to the war.
-People who survived the war suffered from deep psychological trauma.
3. Yes it is explained in a logical way
4. Yes. As a result of....as a result..
5. Yes.Korean War had a tremendous effect on the people. It separated families for over six decades, killed many, and made survivors suffer from psychological disorders.
6. The writer makes an evaluation of how Koreans are feeling.
To Sharon
ReplyDeleteFrom Seon Hyuk
1. Yes. The war separated families, killed many civilians, and left psychological after-effects to the people who survived it.
2. Yes, they all have a specific cause.
3. Yes, they're very logical and simple.
4. She only used "as a result of"
5. Yes it does.
6. Yes, she reflected on the emotions of Korean people, and the hopes of reunification.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCivilians in the Korean War
ReplyDeleteThree to four million innocent civilians were killed, wounded, or missing during the three years of Korean War (1950-1953). It broke out on June 25th when Soviet-backed North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel boundary and invaded the pro-Western South. After continuous cross-border raids, an uneasy armistice was signed. However, the Korean peninsula is technically still at war since no treaty was ever made. The impact of the Korean War on the civilians was especially dramatic. The war separated families, killed many civilians, and left psychological after-effects to the people who survived it.
As a result of the war, many families and friends were separated. According to recent media reports on reunions of families in Korea, an estimate of one million people from the North moved to the South during the early stages of the war. Many of them expected to return after the war ended. So they left behind not only their property, but also their relatives and friends. However, tensions still remain in the Korean peninsula. North Korea closed it borders after the armistice was signed, preventing dispersed family members to unite. As a result, families lost contact with each other. They have been divided for over six decades already.
Many innocent lives were lost during the war. For three years, there were regular overhead bombing raids and battles on the streets. Nearly five million people died and more than half of them were civilians. The target of the bombings were not only military bases, but civilians as well. Entire villages were burned down and planes strafed people at random. The South Korean military killed civilians out of fear that they would help the Communists invading from the North. On the other hand, the North Koreans killed people who did not accept communist ideals. The civilians had no place to take refuge.
People who survived the war suffered from deep psychological trauma. The appalling memories resurfaced from time to time and they were oppressed by nightmares. Many experienced emotional numbness, the sense that things around them are not real. In extreme cases, this led to memory problems, hopelessness, and difficulty concentrating. They no longer did activities that they once enjoyed. Personal relationships were also affected. Survivors kept people at a distance and did not try to meet new people. Moreover, in order to avoid the pain of the trauma, they often turned to drugs and alcohols.
Korean War had a tremendous effect on the people. It separated families for over six decades, killed many, and made survivors suffer from psychological disorders. In August 2000, North and South Korea agreed to work towards a peaceful unification. However, this process has been met with many difficulties because the two Koreas have become vastly different over the six decades of separation. Nevertheless, hope still remains in the hearts of many people. Therefore, Koreans and the international community should join hands and continuously strive to improve inter-Korean relations and push for peaceful unification in the Korean peninsula.