Korean War and Geoje POW Camp

In the briefest summary of the institution of the POW camp on Geojae-do...

North Korea forces, crossing the divisional 38th parallel at multiple points, invaded South Korea in a surprise attack on June 25, 1950. Three days later Seoul was taken, and the North Korean forces pushed southward. Battles rages between the brother countries and in the early part of the war, North Korean forces had the South Korean army on the run. However, with the United Nations and U.S. forces joining the South Korean side and the General McArthur-led Incheon invasion, the South then began to push back. Communist China then joined the North with 1 million troops halting the push but not halting the war. With the progression of the war, hundreds and hundreds of North Korean soldiers were taken, and the question of what to do with the prisoners became a problem. Not nice to be told but as a reality of war, many were shot and buried hastily in mass graves but with the progression of war accommodations had to made for those who had been captured. 

In 1951, because so many POWs were being taken and because there was a need for them to be held in a secure place well away from being taken by the attacking North, a POW camp was built in the Gohyeon and Suwol area of Geojae Island. The POW camp eventually accommodated 173,000 prisoners with 20,000 communist Chinese and 300 women.

 

 

 

 

North Korean Invasion of the South

At 4 a.m. on Sunday morning of June 25, 1950, the North Korean army launched a massive surprise attack across the 38th parallel and "committed an iniquitous invasion of South Korea" (signboard in the camp).

"On the day the war broke out, the UN Security Council was convened promptly. It passed a resolution to create the United Nations Command on July 7, 1950 and General Douglas MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander two days later. Combat troops from 16 friendly countries joined the UN Forces and 4 countries sent support troops for medical assistance and related areas. Thus, the UN Forces along with the Republic of Korea Forces fought against the enemy to protect the freedom and peace of this land."

 

Dioramas of the Korean War

Division between the North and its allies (left) and the South and its allies (right)

North Koreans invading the South

South Koreans setting up defense zones and fighting back

As the ROK army is forced to retreat because of superior forces from the Chinese army which joined the North, refugees desperate for safety endeavored to cross the Daedong River.

History of the Korean War

 

POWs of the Korean War

As the number of prisoners increased exponentially, the UN Command began planning to build an additional prison camp outside of Busan No. 1 prison camp. Geoje Island and Jeju Island were both considered as candidates, and soon a camp was built on Geoje Island and called "Operation Albany" (30 Dec 1950).

North Korean soldiers, Chinese officers and soldiers, and females prisoners were contained there. 

• 22,604 communist POWs were held in the camp (total)
• 14,704 Chinese
• 7,900 North Koreans

The POWs were a major factor in the Korean War not reaching armistice long before the 1953 date. Truce talks were first held on July 10, 1951, but were deadlocked because of the POW problems—how to treat them, how to repatriate them and whether repatriation should be forced or allow the POWs to choose the country (North or South) where they would remain. The option of choice was the biggest controversy—the North demanded the return of all POWS, the South preferred giving the POWs freedom of choice.

If I the blogger am reading the signboard correctly, 359 Korean and UN soldiers who had been taken prisoner during the war refused repatriation. Delegates from the North and the South were to persuade them according to the terms of the armistice agreement, and the persuasion period was to last 120 days at the DMZ under the protective custody of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Committee. However, only 30 days later due to the delay on the communist side, the term of persuasion ran out on December 23, 1953. The train below symbolizes the last train heading back to the North with soldiers having to make their FINAL desperate decision at the station about staying or leaving ... with no chance of ever reversing that decision!

The POW camp was officially closed after the release of the anti-communist prisoners by the South Korean government in 1953 and the armistice agreement on June 27th, 1953. In December 1983 the camp grounds was designated as South Gyeongsang Province Cultural Treasure No. 99, and since has been remodeled into the Geojae POW Camp Park where visitors can learn of the lives of prisoners, see dioramas of the Korean War and artifacts of the prisoners themselves—their clothing, weapons, how they entertained themselves, and even how their choice of weapons within the camp as there were frequent battles between the “anti-communists” and the “communist” prisoners, carry-overs from the Cold War era.

The last remaining structure of the Geoje POW camp that remains today.

Arirang Stele Forest Park, Mungyeong Saejae

On the approach to the Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park, Gyeongsangbukdo, is the Arirang Stele Forest Park. Calling it a forest is a bit much, but this pass at Mungyeong is where scholars and yangban traveled from the southeast areas of Korea to Seoul, often on governmental business but also for taking the state-administered exams. Legend has it that one of the Arirang songs was composed in this pass. For this reason, the Arirang-Stele Forest Park was built here. 

monument for Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park

Two placards amidst the steles explain the conceptual creation of the park (2015):

All kinds of lyrics of Arirang, one of the representative folk songs of Korea, which reflects the joys and sorrows of the Korean people, were searched for and investigated. Among them, approximately 10,000 pieces were selected and finally recorded on hanji, the traditional Korean handmade paper, made in Mungyreong, by 120 calligraphers in 2013. The aim was to preserve the lyrics of Arirang which are nearly forgotten and to further honor the spirit of the song to wish for the reunification of South and North Korea to move forward into the future together by erecting steles. Moreover, to commemorate approximately 10,000 pieces of Arirang here and make this place the birthplace of the Arirang-Stele Forest, Arirang songs that are enjoyably sung by all Koreans were engraved on those steles. Calligraphers born in Mungyeong such as Hwang Gyu-uk, Jo Yong-cheol, Chae Sun-hong, Kim Ho-sik, and Kim Yeong-bae wrote the lyrics in calligraphy.

 

The traditional song known as "Mugyeongsaejae Arirang" contains local sentiment in its melodies and rhythms. During the reign of King Gojong (1863-1907), American missionary Homer Bezaleel Hulbert (1863-1949) recorded it as a typical folk song of Joseon Dynasty. The refrain "Mun-gyung sai-chai pak-tala-n mu hong-do-kai pang-maing-i ta na kan da" led to the creation of other versions of Arirang across the country. The local Arirang song was gradually falling into oblivion with the passage of time. However, as luck would have it, a local singer named Song Yeong-cheol revived the song, preserving it for future generations. Today we are erected this monument in the fervent hope that this song will fill the Korean people with hope and promote a spirit of reconciliation, while helping us to find a new path based on the old traditions. Now we sing a line from the song that embodies all the joys and sorrows of our ancestors while traveling over the pass.

Varying lyrics of Arirang are inscribed on granite -- steles to the music of Arirang!

Unification Could Bring Health Crisis to Korea

I hear so little talk of reunification so when I saw this article posted in the Korea University Hospital, I was a little taken aback. Wow, proof that there is some preparation for a united North and South Korea again. Preparation on a medical level ... very interesting.

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Unification Could Bring Health Crisis to Korea

(THE KOREA TIMEs, Apr 4, 2017)

by Jung Min-ho, Kim Eil-chul 

Imagine hundreds of thousands of North Korean refugees are crossing the border into South Korea after their regime suddenly collapses. What would be the most urgent issue for the unified Korea?

Surveys show that most South Koreans believe the cost of unification is the biggest concern. However, according to Kim Young-hoon, former president of Korea University Anam Hospital, money may just be a secondary issue.

"President Park Geun-hye said unification would bring a bonanza, but it could instead bring a health crisis, if we are unprepared," Kim said. "Unification could bring along many lethal, infectious diseases that we are not ready to cope with. The worst part is that we know very little about such risks."

Some health risks are obvious, he said. For example, North Korea has about 110,000 tuberculosis (TB) patients, 5,000 of whom died in 2014 alone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

"More worryingly, many of TB cases in North Korea are multi-drug resistant. This means we don't have any way to cure the highly contagious infection," Kim said.

Even today, South Korea, the fourth-largest economy in Asia, is struggling with its own fight against TB. According to the WHO, the country has the highest TB incidence rate among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

"So if you think that South Korea is capable of coping effectively with a huge influx of TB patients from the North, you may be mistaken," Kim said. "Look at how one patient infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome last year shook the entire nation."

"And TB is just one of the many health risk factors of unification."

The health risks of unification may be even bigger for North Koreans, who have lived behind the walls of the world's most isolated state for more than 60 years. Most of them may not be immune to the diseases that would not affect people in the rest of the world. "For now, we just don't know much," he said.

/Courtesy of Korea University Anam Hospital

The poor overall health status of North Koreans may also bring down that of South Koreans altogether after unification. According to a report published in 2014 by the state-run Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the average lifespan of North Koreans is 69.5 years, much shorter than the 81 years for South Koreans. In terms of medical standards, experts believe the rich South is 30 to 50 years ahead of the impoverished North.

During his 2014-2015 term at Korea University Anam Hospital, Kim thought the health risks of unification are a serious issue to be addressed. Thus, he created a graduate program to study the health and medical implications of Korean unification, making Korea University the first college to have such a program in Korea. The program will launch in September.

"Some of the program lectures will be open to the public, and I also plan to financially support students in the program as much as possible," he said.

He also created the Inter-Korea Foundation for Health and Medical Education last year under the Ministry of Unification, which will support professors and students in the program.

The foundation has already begun to review medical journals and data from North Korea in an attempt to understand the diagnosis and treatment of different kinds of diseases there in comparison with South Korea. "We are trying to find out, for example, what types of cardiac disorders are common in the state and how they are treated with very limited resources," Kim said.

The foundation will also collaborate with experts to study the health of North Korean refugees in South Korea.

"The foundation and experts are documenting the health status and determinants of North Korean refugees. By doing so, they can try to understand how their health status changes as they adapt to the Westernized lifestyle of South Korea," he said.

Through a cohort study involving about 1,000 North Koreans, researchers at the foundation have already produced some meaningful results. For instance, he noted, the researchers found that North Koreans have a higher risk of developing diabetes, as they will take in much more nutrition when they settle in the South.

One of the courses of the program aims to unify the medical terms of the two states. Many terms used in the North are Korean and Russian, while those used in the South are mainly English.

"Many South Korean organizations have tried to improve the health of North Koreans by giving them medical devices and drugs, but there has been no solid system that can be helpful in the long term," Kim said.

"Not just as preparation for unification. I also hope that our effort can contribute to bringing the two sides closer on their way to the ultimate unification."

Kim Young-hoon, who served as the president of Korea University Anam Hospital, now leads the Arrhythmia Center at the hospital. He is one of the most renowned arrhythmia experts in the country.
/Courtesy of Korea University Anam Hospital

Fixing hearts that have lost their rhythm

Arrhythmia is a condition in which the heart beats either too fast, too slow, too early or irregularly. It occurs when the electrical impulses to the heart that coordinate heartbeats are not working properly.

Arrhythmia is the cause of most sudden cardiac deaths. Atrial fibrillation, which can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications, is the most common type of arrhythmia.

Arrhythmia affects millions of people worldwide, including about 2 to 3 percent of the total population of Europe and North America, and according to the Korean Society of Cardiology, 800,000 to 1 million in Korea as well.

Kim, who now leads the Arrhythmia Center at Korea University Anam Hospital, is one of the most renowned arrhythmia experts in the country.

In 1998, when atrial fibrillation was largely considered impossible to treat, Kim implemented radio frequency catheter ablation, a minimally invasive procedure, in which thin wires called catheters are inserted into a vein to destroy the heart tissues that signal abnormal electrical impulses.

Since then, he has successfully performed the procedure on more than 2,500 patients, dispelling initial concerns about the method's efficacy and safety. Kim said none of his patients has died as a result of the procedure.

"About 95 percent of atrial fibrillation cases can be cured completely with the procedure," he said. "After that, patients just have to take medications."

Having published more than 140 articles about arrhythmia in reputable journals in Korea and abroad, Kim has become well-respected among many experts in the field.

Dailian University in China is one of the many institutions that have asked him to share his know-how about arrhythmia treatment, especially about radio frequency catheter ablation. In 2012, he agreed to do so at the school for five years. Some doctors from Japan, Hong Kong and Indonesia have also visited his hospital in Korea to learn from him.

His research team is now working to develop better ways to treat arrhythmia, in cooperation with experts at world-renowned medical institutions, including Harvard Medical School.

Remembering Rosetta Sherwood Hall

The alumnus of Korea University College of Medicine expressed his affection for his school during the interview, saying his last goal is to revive the spirit of Rosetta Sherwood Hall, an American medical missionary who established the Joseon Women's Medical Training Institute, the predecessor of the medical college, in 1928.

"About a hundred years ago, she risked her life to come here to deliver one message: the importance of helping those in need. I think everyone here needs to take that message seriously and act accordingly. When we do, I have no doubt that the school will change in remarkable ways," Kim said.