Transcript

Hayoung Park

[ 00:00:02 ]Could you briefly tell me your name and what you do?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:00:08 ]I am 67 years old by our age, and I am a person who is giving a commentary on the history of the Korean War at the Samseong Peace Foundation and the Analysis Memorial Hall. My name is Kim Ik-jo.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:00:21 ]Thank you. Could you tell me where you were born and raised and what kind of childhood you had?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:00:27 ]I was born in Jeju, and my childhood was nothing special. I worked for about 15 years at the headquarters of the Gimpo Airport Corporation, living there, and after retiring, I am now giving tours in Jeju.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:00:48 ]Did you continue to work at your job before becoming a commentator?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:00:55 ]That's right.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:00:56 ]I only worked one job at the workplace, so as I approach retirement, I wonder what I should do next? Money is important, of course money is important, but while contemplating how to spend my time, I realized that I have talents that I don't fully understand, and my kids don't know either since they live their lives too early. My nieces and nephews also don't know, so I thought about what to do. I decided to study my talents and organize some materials for my kids and nieces and nephews to see. So, in the broader context of my talents, I started categorizing about 30 different items related to the history of my talents.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:01:44 ]You found out about 3 at that time, right?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:01:48 ]That's right, before that, adults didn't talk much. The reason is that the government educated us so much about the 4.3 incident being caused by communists that we hardly heard anything when we were young. I can only recall three things. My grandmother said that after the commander of the armed group was killed, the body was hung in Gwandukcheon Square, and the residents were told to come out and see. Then my mother said that in Dodudong, behind Jeju Airport, she almost died at the hands of a living person, but was spared because she was too young. And my uncle, who is a descendant, said that someone would disrespect the ancestors, so they threatened to kill them and sent them to Japan. I only heard those three things, and even that was not in detail; it was a story that no one could talk about. As a result, I realized that there was so much I didn't know, so I studied and received education, and suddenly, they said they were selecting people, and before I knew it, I became a guide.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:03:05 ]I started doing this job a year after retiring.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:03:09 ]So, how did you study Jeju's Sasaem when you first started studying it?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:03:16 ]I find it difficult to obtain books that are not for sale, as the books that come out from institutions are not available for purchase, while the books that the general public can buy are accessible. So, how did I study? First, I went to each institution's website to gather information, and then I attended the training sessions, following them closely. The reason is that for about two years before retirement, there is a wage peak system that cuts my salary by about 40%, and I end up doing less work. I utilized that time.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:03:52 ]Give me a year to receive training at the company. I used that time to take various courses and then started.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:04:06 ]Studying ideology is very difficult. As a result, I have to look at military orders. I have to look at the Japanese colonial period. I have to look at the U.S. military organization. Why wouldn't Japan be doing this to Korea? It's all about the emperor, isn't it? Since the Meiji Restoration.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:04:24 ]You will see. As we continue to study, our friends also have questions, and if there are questions, we wonder why? If we dig into it three times, we can know the root, right? That's how I studied. I didn't have anyone to teach me; I just did it alone. 4.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:04:48 ]What thoughts or feelings did you have as you newly learned about 3? 4.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:04:55 ]The most important thing is that our students know about the March 1st Movement, right? They say about 2 million Koreans participated in the March 1st Movement.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:05:06 ]Did the March 1st Movement succeed? Did it fail? From our perspective, it failed. But if it hadn't happened, who in the world would know that the Korean people sought independence? The Cairo Conference knows, right? Originally, the Cairo Conference was about discussions on the handling of colonies after World War II. But suddenly, Korea was a colony before World War II.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:05:37 ]The Provisional Government, Mr. Kim Gu and others talked about Korean independence in the lobby, but what was underlying that was the 60th birthday celebration, and suddenly Korean independence comes up. What does that mean? It was because the March 1st Movement of Korean democracy was known to leaders and people around the world. Why is April 3rd important? In fact, we pursue peaceful unification. The United States seeks unification through force. President Syngman Rhee also pursued unification. So now we are pursuing unification. The ideology opposes the idea that the country is an organization. Then it doesn't make sense to say that it was wrong back then and is right now. If there had been no ideology, no one would know that the Republic of Korea pursued a country that seeks unification, and there would be no evidence of it. In that sense, it is important. If there had been no Gwangju Democratization Movement, if our military aristocrats had overthrown it and the people of the Republic of Korea pursued democratization, who would have acknowledged that world?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:06:46 ]In that sense, the 3rd place, the 4th stage, and the Gwangju Civil Rights Movement are important parts of the People's Dream Movement. Without those, no one would acknowledge it.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:06:59 ]Should we approach it in that sense? In the process of nation-building, simply put, if they raised a rebellion based on their own standards and did so quickly, then we shouldn't pursue unification, right? I see it from that perspective.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:07:17 ]South, North, left-wing, right-wing, dramatic, far-right. It's not about this being important, but what the people at that time were pursuing is what matters. In this important context, why did such events occur in that era, and why did the U.S. military act that way, and then why did South Korea suppress it so harshly? I'm delving into this continuously, and these days it's great that modern university professors are publishing many excellent books.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:07:52 ]Professor Jeong Kyung-jun, Professor Park Tae-kyun, Professor Park Myung-rim, and Professor Seo Jung-seok, seeing that these people have written books, really shows that at that time, they were doing so much research that we can easily look at this for about 20,000 to 30,000 won, considering how hard they worked. Looking at that, it’s a process of raising one question at a time, and while studying those things, since I really don’t know much about the ideas, I try to make an effort to inform the people who come.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:08:28 ]How do you feel about having conversations like this with new people several times a day?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:08:36 ]I often talk a lot about the significance of the four-three that I mentioned earlier. One of the most important things for us is the terminology, right? The definition of terms. When we talk about the people, it’s red. We talk like this, but we try to explain what the word "people" means, the situations when those people did various things, and so on.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:09:08 ]Was there a meaningful moment while you were working as a commentator?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:09:13 ]Last time, the students from Sogang University came because of COVID and asked a lot of questions; there are quite a few friends who come because they really want to know. Young people and older people have reading clubs in various regions, so many come. When I talk to those people, I really feel that I need to study more. Because of them, I feel motivated to study again and buy books, and as this process repeats, it gradually helps me as well.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:09:54 ]I thought I was helping them, but when I saw the results, it seems that person is giving me an opportunity to study. So, I shouldn't get involved in politics.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:10:11 ]There is a song by the singer Seo Yu-seok called 'You Always Grow a Lot.' In it, there are lyrics that say, "I'm not an old man, right now I'm learning English, I'm learning Chinese, I'm learning Aranmal, and I'm going to travel the world." Can we really say that a person becomes stagnant just because they are getting older? It makes me think. Although it's a pop song, what it talks about resonates with me a lot. So I have no choice but to study.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:10:51 ]Is there a reason to have a head? Is there a reason to use it? I will study hard at home, but I often talk about such things.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:10:59 ]It is said to write.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:11:01 ]The most famous Korean among them is Mr. Kim Seok-beom, who is a well-known novelist in Japan, and he is now 100 years old. Next is poet Kim Si-jeong, who is 96 years old and is still writing poetry and novels. And I am 67 years old. For the next 30 years, I will have that kind of mindset.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:11:23 ]Or have you ever had difficult moments while working as a commentator, perhaps? Ah, yes.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:11:30 ]No matter what, people have to be red, and even if I explain it strongly as a riot or rebellion, they don't want to listen. So, when it comes to disbanding, I get tired too, but it's not about getting tired; it's about how to resolve when facing an insurmountable wall. If they listen a bit, I can talk, and that person can talk, and I can attack while also defending, but if they just attack unilaterally and don't give me a chance to defend, I will withdraw.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:12:06 ]Is there a way to overcome such things?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:12:10 ]The only way to overcome it is to read books, theoretically.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:12:19 ]Is there anything you would like to say to those young people and the younger generation around the world, now that this video will be translated into English and made available to them?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:12:34 ]What I really want to talk about is the Jeju 4.3 Incident, right? The name "4.3" is not the proper name for it. I found a preliminary organization of the Jeju 4.3 Incident in a planned Korean dictionary. So, was there something planned in Jeju on April 4th? The most important thing is missing, which is what it could be. However, everyone knows about the Gwangju Democratization Movement, even elementary school students. In Gwangju, when they talk about the democratization movement, a few people might not know, but it's more important than that, and I think our two friends studying in Jeju know about the unique ideology that occurred in Jeju. If you think that way, the ideology doesn't provide an answer.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:13:22 ]During the Japanese colonial period, the U.S. military government, the Soviet Union, and North Korea are interconnected, and the Jeju ideology, along with various forms of oppression, emerged originally because the Allied forces, like the Misoo, were united until World War II. However, after World War II ended, things began to change gradually, but the decisive split occurred with the announcement of the Truman Doctrine in March 1947. Greece was at risk of becoming communist, and while Britain had been helping, they could not continue, so the U.S. stepped in, announcing the Truman Doctrine, marking the complete division between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. It was during this period that ideologies began to arise.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:14:02 ]We need to look at it from a global historical perspective. These aspects. I absolutely do not think of it as an ideology unique to Jeju; the Greek Civil War, for example, occurred in a similar situation across various countries around the world. Nevertheless, the most important thing is that this happened against the backdrop of the strongest U.S. military in the world, which is a rare case globally. So I hope we can consider the global situation a bit more, and that Jeju is not just an ideology. I think that would be good.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:14:38 ]If you have any dreams or wishes you would like to achieve in the future, I would appreciate it if you could share them.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:14:47 ]It's not just a systematic discussion of the Four Thoughts as scholars talk about, but rather a commentary on the Four Thoughts that we ordinary people can discuss, hear, and feel, along with a glossary of terms related to the Four Thoughts. I may not have enough recognition to create a book that I could sell for money, but I'm still working on making it accessible to the people around me.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:15:18 ]Are you making it?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:15:20 ]Ideological fusion dictionary? My own ideological hypocrisy.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:15:26 ]Will it be released? It won't be released!

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:15:29 ]I can't publish because I have no recognition. The people around me create what they see.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:15:37 ]Is there perhaps...

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:15:39 ]No, it's not here. Just me... Because everyone is asking for it, but that trip can't happen right now, and I'm the only one organizing... Someday... It should be finished within about 5 years, right?

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:15:55 ]You have to do it like this one by one with the eagle typing method, but someone has to do it.

SPEAKER_2

[ 00:16:02 ]You are amazing.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:16:03 ]The most important thing is that our students will study hard.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:16:08 ]It's hard to be the best. Our friends can do their best because they study hard, but I find it difficult to do my best. It's the same at work. There are so many kids coming out of elementary school, and the only way I can beat them is that I am the first.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:16:25 ]If you take a path that no one has walked, there are no comparisons, right? Of course, later on, juniors might say this was done wrong and make revisions, but being the first means taking a path that no one has walked, so anyone can understand that. Being the first is very difficult.

Ik-jo Kim

[ 00:16:44 ]Still, I prefer to go with first rather than best.

Hayoung Park

[ 00:16:47 ]That's a good point. Up to here. Yes. Thank you.