Photo by Woohae Cho/Getty Images
Letters To My Hometown preserves the stories of Koreans around the world whose lives were forever altered by war, division, and the unfinished grief of families separated for 70+ years.
A project sponsored by South Korea’s Ministry of Unification
A Story All Too Painfully Familiar…
Source: Korean Quarterly, March 2013; via Divided Families USA
In 1945, Korea was divided in two, caught between the competing powers of the United States and the Soviet Union at the dawn of the Cold War. The Korean War followed, and when a supposedly temporary ceasefire was signed on July 27, 1953, millions of Koreans were left permanently stranded on whichever side of the border they happened to be on that day.
More than 70 years later, they still have yet to reconnect with their spouses, children, parents, or siblings on the other side.
The modern North-South Korean border is the most militarized in the world. It is illegal and impossible to cross it.
What is Letters To My Hometown?
LETTERS TO MY HOMETOWN is a video interview project preserving the stories of Korean diaspora who experienced this forced separation firsthand, and of the generations that followed.
The videos become part of a permanent collection maintained by the South Korean Ministry of Unification with the hope that they may one day be shared with family members in the North.
Until now, South Koreans who migrated abroad – and now call another country home – have not been given this chance.
Mr. Lee, featured here, is a naturalized American citizen and was able to visit his family in North Korea in 1997. This video was made possible with the support of AFSC and Korean American Story.
Why Now?
It has been more than 70 years since Korea’s forced separation of 1953. Anyone who would have been old enough to experience, understand, and remember the separation are in their 80s and older.
As this generation ages, we are rapidly losing the chance to capture and record what is both communal and personal history.
Letters To My Hometown, supported by the Ministry of Unification, is launching the first global attempt to record divided families’ videos from Koreans anywhere in the world. We are a small team of Korean diaspora peacebuilders, storytellers, and advocates.
How Your Family Can Participate
The act of speaking out – even when physical reunion remains impossible – can be healing.
We would like to help your family tell its separation story. We will guide you the whole way.
You can participate via
a home-recorded video interview, filmed on a phone camera, or
a Zoom video interview that a member of our team will conduct
in the language(s) of your choice
We encourage you to get in touch as soon as possible.
Final Note: Psychological Support
The act of remembering and speaking about a traumatic time can be both cathartic and challenging. We are committed to psychological support for those who participate in Letters To My Hometown, and are pursuing collaborations with counselors and other relevant providers.