CHILDEREN OF THE

KOREAN DIVIDE
The effects of war on family relations

Jennyfer Elvilia
6210457
The Rise of Asia
9 April 2021
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2

The Korean Divide…………………………………………………………………………………………. 3

Divided Families…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

The effect of the Korean Divide on Family Relations………………………………………. 5

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7

Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
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“When the peace treaty is signed, the war isn’t over for the veterans
or the family. It’s just starting.”

- Karl Marlantes

Introduction

War has been present among humanity since the beginning of time. History has taught us that

war is a double edged sword that cuts swiftly and deeply. Its impact is a long lasting one,

whether this impact is positive is a matter of perspective. Wars can be lucrative and may set

up positive reforms but, it must also be recognized that the destruction it brings and the

negative impact it trails behind itself also needs to be mentioned. The Korean war is no

different in this case. The Korean war has resulted in a divide, the Korean peninsula has been

divided in North- and South Korea. Researchers have broadly investigated the effect that this

war has had on a political and economic plane, but the social impact hereof also deserves

attention. This divide has resulted in a separation of many families, a nightmare from which

none have had the opportunity to awaken from because, the situation has yet to be rectified.

The historic, political and economic aspects of war are important indeed, but the social effects

hereof don’t deserve to be put on the back burner. While waiting for some form of

reunification these separated families have remained victims of their circumstances, many are

not aware whether their family member is dead or alive, as communication between North-

and South Korea has been very difficult to maintain. According to Kim, Dong Soo the issue is

that; “On both sides of Korea, any individual attempt to contact families on the other side, let

alone to visit with them, is a crime punishable by national security laws. The separated family

issue has been an exclusive government domain and politically exploited in the past 40

years.”(p. 6-7). The trauma’s and memories of the war are still alive and currently impacting

the present society. This paper will investigate; How Korean families are affected as a result

of the Korea divide. In doing so, this paper hopes to shed light on the affects and bring more
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attention to the problem at hand and in doing so highlight the necessary points of attention so

that we can work towards a viable future solution.

The Korean Divide

What we as a modern-day audience understand as the Korean peninsula was successfully

ruled by the Joseon dynasty for approximately five centuries. This dynasty is believed to have

ruled from 1392 to 1910. It was in 1910 that the Joseon dynasty had fallen and was now

formally occupied by Japan. According to Eckert, Carter J., the defeat that Japan underwent in

the Pacific war has brought an abrupt end in its rule over Korea (p. 140-41). However this

liberation after the second world war did not last long for Korea, in less than a month after

this liberation the country was divided into two zones of occupation. The Korean peninsula

was divided at the 38th parallel latitude by the victorious Soviet and American military forces

respectively. The split between North- and South Korea was done by junior government

officials of the United States. The 38th latitude was chosen to ensure that the large city of

Seoul would be part of their territory and increase their chance of success. The arrival of the

Cold war has further risen the tensions between these neighbouring countries. The Korean

war broke out in 1950 to 1953. It was only in the end that a form of peaceful settlement was

reached creating the “demilitarized zone”, ironically this zone is a heavily militarized one that

is keeping the tensions between South- and North Korea at bay. Today, as a consequence of

these wars many people are now displaced with no clear estimate of when it will be rectified.

The first wave of displacement happened with the retreat of Japan at the end of World War II

whilst, the second wave of displacement is the result of The Korean war.

Divided Families

The term divided families can be interpreted in many different ways, to avoid confusion this

paper will use Foley’s (2003) definition of divided families. With divided families it is

understood that;
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“The divided families are those Koreans still separated from their family members by Korea’s

division into two rival, ideologically opposed regimes, the subsequent Korean War of 1950-

1953, and ultimately by the failure of Koreas’ leaders to create a context in which they could

be reunited with their loved”.

The amount of people this division affected and still affects today is unknown. According to

Foley, there exists a big gap among agencies numerical estimates, the statistics of the Korean

National Red cross and the numerical estimates of scholars. The reason for this gap is that it is

impossible to have a clear account of the number of people who moved from their original place

of residency throughout the period of the second world war and the Korean war. Another reason

for the unclear statistics is that it is not beneficial to the political realm to reveal the extent of

the current population that is misplaced. Rather than the focus being on rectifying this situation,

both South- and North Korea try to use it as a pawn in order to gain political advantages. South

Korea tends to try and gain sympathy from their local communities as well as from the

international scene and North Korea tries to use the situation to gain political leverage. To

elaborate, North Korea uses the situation as a way negotiate potential political and economic

concessions. It is believed that the involuntary separation of Korean families is a humanitarian

question. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), has explored

the application of potential human rights norms and principles in order to possibly accelerate

the restoration of these family unions (p. 8). As North- and South Korea have made some

progress in their relationship, the two countries have made room for approval of reunions. This

is a miniscule step in the right direction seeing that this is not a long term solution, as the

reunions only last for a short period of time. It should also be mentioned the amount of victims

that are able to take part in these reunions encompass only a small percentage of the estimated

total. Another point of concern is the environment in which these reunions take place, they are

highly publicized events which may not be the best environment for such an emotional event.
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The effect of the Korean divide on family relations

The Korean divide has intergenerational consequences for the divided Korean families.

Comparable to this, not only the primary group that lived through the war is affect but also the

generations that follow it. The psychological effects that the families undergo are also passed

on to the next generation in a subconscious manner. It may be hard for the first generation to

express the ongoing trauma thus, exposing the second generation to behavioural issues that

they do not understand. Examples of this may be mood swings, outburst of anger, panic

attacks and anxieties that manifest as a result of the lived trauma. Not only by living through

the war itself but also because the war has not ended for the victims yet, as they live in

uncertainty on a daily basis. The inability of the second generation to be able to understand

the depths in which these behaviours are rooted will make it difficult to not be affect by the

experienced behaviour. Certainly, if we believe that all input either negative or positive in a

relationship can have an impact on the individual family unit. This distinction between

generations is also important because it has been decades since these families have been

separated. This prolonged period of time of separation is reason enough to assume that its

effects continue to increase as long as the root of the trauma is still festering.

Another aspect of the affect that the Korean divide has been influential on families is

by targeting core Korean moral values. The inability to fulfil the filial piety has an impact.

According to Kim Ga-hoon filial piety, also called “hyodo” can be defined as a natural duty to

support and serve one’s parents. This sense of morality has been derived from Confucian term

“hyojae” which means to honour your parents and to intensify the “brotherly love” towards

one’s siblings, and present peace and harmony within the family. These are long standing

traditions that are at the core of one’s Korean identity, it is the scarlet tread that guides one’s

moral compass. Therefore it comes at little to no surprise that the inability to full fill one’s

filial piety has severe impact on an individual. Due to the Korean divide, it is impossible for
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many individuals to uphold their filial piety towards their families which causes intense cases

of guilt. An example of this can be found in the case of an artist cited by Boo Daniel and

Duck Lee. This artist was born in 1927, every Harvest festival he observed the rites of

ancestral worship. This is a ritual he and many other uphold in order to deal with the guilt and

grief they feel in not being able to uphold their duties of filial piety. Many are the cases where

this guilt and mourning process can’t be concluded because they don’t have the benefit of

closure. A way that we can see this guilt trickle down into the second generation is through

the story of J. H. Kim as cited by Boo, Daniel and Duck, Lee. J. H. Kim’s father passed away

without the opportunity of fulling his last wish. The fathers wish was to re-unite with his

dispersed family in North Korea. Because of a sense of duty to uphold the filial piety, J. H.

Kim thought it fitting to fulfil his fathers last wish. After connecting with his family members,

he has been advocating for the second generation to connect with the forgotten generation.

This connection demonstrates that familial connections to the past are a fundamental part of

identity. In his report he poses an important question and sentiment; “How long do they have

to face denial of meeting their own relatives under the repression of anti-communism? The

young generation also need to go in order that the can better understand the pain of their

parent generation”(p. 157). He also firmly believes that this is necessary in order to close the

chapter on suffering and in order to move forward.

Familia support is an important factor in creating successful and well-rounded adults

in an society. In separating and diving family units, it creates a lack of familial support. House

holds are severed from relationships connections and the benefits thereof. North- and South

Korea used to be one people thus, also have the same culture base and language which are

important elements in the forming of one’s identity. The more time passes in this state of

separation the more distance this will bring between families in North- and South Korea. The

development of each country will bring change, not only to their cultural traditions of the
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wider society but, it will also be lost on a more nuclear scale. Another consequence is the

development of the language in two separate directions, as well as deep rooted changes in

political ideologies. The more time passes the deeper these elements get rooted in the social

structures creating a more permanent divide, in the societies and in the families.

In certain cases the separation has been that of the head of a house hold and the rest of

his unit, often times this could have economic implications. In the chaos of the war and

displacement of people, many properties and belongings were also misplaced. This led to an

interruption of generational wealth within families. With their legacies short changed, they

now had to focus their energy on the restoration of their economic standing. This could lead to

a hyper focus on the economic aspect of the family and lessening the focus on continuing the

lineages, creating a sense of social paralysis.

Conclusion

This paper has analysed the possible effects that the Korean divide has had on Korean

families. Similar to any traumatic experience the psychological effects are ever present but, as

a people it is not always a conscious awareness. The prolonged separation of families, has

created a vicious cycle through intergenerational transfer of negative input. Another huge

factor is guilt, whether it is survivors guilt, or guilt for not being able to fulfil made promises

it is a slow poison that slow eats away at one’s existence. The loss of family traditions may

seem minuscule but it is an important part of identity formation. As we acknowledge all the

negative affects the Korean Divide has had on family relations, it should be encouraged for

further research to be able to reach a responsible but swift reunification. The reunions that

have been available are not enough. There needs to be a space for prolonged private

conversations, as well as careful psychological care to not re-traumatize the victims even

further. The dream is to have a responsible and fast solution for the separation of families but,

the reality is many of these victims are up in age so the clock is ticking. Nonetheless, the work
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towards reunification has to continue for if we don’t manage to save the first generation, the

second one will still be waiting.

Works Cited

Boo, Daniel, and Duck Lee. “Divided Korean Families: Why Does It Take So Long To

Remedy The Unhealed Wounds?”. Korea Journal of Population and Development,

vol. 21, no. 2, 1992, pp. 145-174. JSTOR. Web.

Eckert, Carter J. “Korea’s Transition to Modernity : A Will to Greatness”. Historical

Perspectives On

Contemporary East Asia. Eds. Merle Goldman and Andrew Gordon. Havard University Press

2000. Print.

Foley, James. Korea’s Divide Families: Fifty Years of Separation. Routledge 2009. Print

Kim, Dong Soo. 1992. "Revisioning Family Reunions: A Case of Korean Families

Divided by War". Paper presented at Council on Social Work Education Annual

Meeting. Kansas City, Kansas, February 29-March 3.

Kim, Ga-hoon. 2008. “Filial Piety: Greatest Heritage of Korea”. Korea Times. Retrieved from

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2012/04/181_29719.html