YTSS Korea Field Trip 2014: Day 3: K-Pop Show Biz at Yongin & Hanok Stay in Gyeong Ju (08/11/2014; Saturday)

Day 3 (08/11): Cultural Immersion at Seoul-Yongin-Incheon-Gyeongju

Key Inquiry Questions:
1) “North Korea first started the war” do you belief this statement?
2) Would you fight a war for other countries? Why or why not?

Reflection from Group 1:
I think it is reliable as he has personal experience in the war. South Korea had an extremely weak military force without tanks or fighter planes. No one will start a war that they cannot win. Therefore, it is irrational for South Korea to start the war. In addition, the war memorial museum states that North Korea was the culprit that started the war. However, it is unreliable because the South Korean veteran may be biased. He will definitely not blame his country since he possesses immense loyalty to his country. He did not look at the situation from the perspective of North Korea. Therefore, he is only providing the South Korean perspective. Moreover, the museum is in South Korea, therefore, it only states the negative aspects of North Korea.

I may or may not fight a war in another country. It depends on whether I support the country in terms of ideology and beliefs. If they are in need of help and they are the innocent or oppressed I will definitely help them as they do not deserve to suffer because of the war. However, if the country I am sent to help is in the wrong then I will not help because of the guilt from helping a country with ill-intentions.

Contributed by: Joel

Reflection from Group 2:
I believe the veteran’s statement that North Korea starting the war as South Korea did not possess strong military enforcements in comparison to North Korea, which would mean that South Korea would lose hands down. It is practical to declare war only if the country has confidence in winning, which includes having a strong military. Therefore, it is not practical for South Korea to have started the war. Furthermore, South Korea was occupied by the USA which was still in the period of policy of isolationism and thus, wanted peace and not war. This proves yet again that South Korea did not initiate the war. The veteran also experienced the war and was probably able to interact with the people from the other side as well, therefore the fact that he confidently states that North Korea started the war makes it reliable. However, as the veteran is South Korean, it is most likely that he would not admit to starting the war.

I will fight for a war if the country is somehow allied with our country which makes us obliged to help the country in need. I will also help the other country if the country is desperately in need of help and the casualties are so large that it may lead to a total wipe out of the interest of a large population of the country. This would possibly lead to more unhappiness within the country few years down the road and in this case the total wipe out of the South Korean democratic ideology.
I will not fight the war if I am the only source of support for my family and if my family is not at a stable state. This is because my priority would be more focused on protecting my family and not another countries people.

Contributed by: Soo Bin

Reflection from Group 3:

This statement is reliable because the war veteran has his own personal experience in the war. He is passionate about his country and wanted to fight for his country, South Korea. North Korea also wanted South Korea to practise communism but South Korea wanted to practice democracy. North Korea also had a large number of army forces as compared to South Korea then and this gave them an advantage over South Korea. Therefore, South Korea would not start the war as they were at a disadvantage due to their smaller armed forces.

This statement is not reliable because it is a biased source as the war veteran wants to protect his own country and hence he will support his own country instead of giving a neutral perspective. Therefore, when we get information from the war veteran, South Korea is portrayed in a positive light.

If another country called upon Singapore to aid in times of a crisis, I will respond to that call because we are humans and we should help one another in times of need as it is the humane thing to do. If we help others, others will help us too because what goes around comes around. If my country is threatened, it is obligatory that I fight to defend my rights and my family.

Contributed by Hilmi

Reflection from Group 4:
I think the statement is useful because the elderly guide is a war veteran who has had first-hand experience of the war. His personal experience has allowed him to provide a clear account of the war. However, his statement may not be reliable because although he is a war veteran, he is still a South Korean. The war is between North Korea and South Korea, hence and predictably, he would make the statement that North Korea started the war. In my opinion, this war between North and South Korea is a proxy war between USA and Soviet Union. From the knowledge I acquired in the museum, I know that many of the foreign soldiers who fought for South Korea during the war are Americans. This leads me to think that the Americans might not just be helping South Korea defend themselves against North Korea but also fighting their own ideological war against Soviet Union. Nonetheless, they have sacrificed their lives to protect and fight for the people of South Korea, which is a notably heroic act. Their efforts will be remembered by people. Would I fight for another country in a war? Yes, indirectly I would. I would fight for countries which are doing the right thing and for the countries getting invaded like Singapore during World War Two. I would not regard their military capacity or other war supplies and try to help in any way I can try to help.

Contributed by Fitri

1. War Memorial Museum