Images of a Korean-American Couple During the Korean War
Smiles Amidst Conflict... Netizens Say "Touching"
A photo posted by an author depicting the appearance of grandmothers and grandfathers in 1950s Korea. Reddit capture.
"I happened to find it while looking through an old album I had kept"
A black-and-white photo of an American man who was dispatched during the Korean War and a Korean woman as a couple has attracted significant attention online. An author discovered well-preserved photos in an old album kept at home, featuring his young Korean grandmother, his American grandfather, and his father as a newborn. He decided to release them publicly.
On September 1, a post titled "My grandparents and father around 1952-1953" was uploaded to the Korea board of the global online community Reddit. In the roughly ten photos, military uniforms and firearms appear to illustrate the circumstances of the time, and a young Korean wife and a white man are seen smiling brightly, capturing memories with their child.
A photo posted by an author depicting the appearance of grandmothers and grandfathers in 1950s Korea. Reddit capture.
From the very first photo, the couple's affection is apparent. The white husband is shirtless with shaving cream on his face, while his wife looks at him and laughs brightly, seemingly amused by the sight.
A photo posted by an author depicting the appearance of grandparents in Korea during the 1950s. Reddit capture
In the next photo, the wife is shown holding a newborn baby and smiling widely. The background, featuring doors and walls made of mud, wood, and traditional Korean paper, reflects the conditions of Korea in the 1950s. Other photos shared include scenes from the child's first birthday celebration and the wife seemingly trying out shooting with her husband's gun and military uniform.
A photo posted by an author depicting the appearance of grandparents in Korea during the 1950s. Reddit capture.
The author wrote, "My grandfather told me how terrible the Korean War was. Looking at these photos, it seems my grandmother was a 'light of life' for my grandfather during those dark times."
According to the author, at the time the photos were taken, his grandmother was about 20 years old and his grandfather was about 26. The grandmother was originally from North Korea but lost her family in a bombing during the war. She moved to Seoul, found a job as a military nurse, met her husband who was serving in the military, and gave birth to their child in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
A photo posted by an author depicting the appearance of grandmothers and grandfathers in 1950s Korea. Reddit capture.
As the Korean wife in the photos appeared very young, some questioned whether she might have been a minor at the time. The author responded, "My grandmother's passport listed her birth year as 1932. She passed away from old age in 2004, so I believe that age is accurate."
He added, "Even family members found it hard to believe she was about 20 at the time because she looked so young. It's possible she appeared younger due to malnutrition."
The post has received nearly 1,000 comments, drawing a huge response. Comments included, "It's amazing to see a photographic history where two different cultures intersect," "Astonishingly beautiful and moving," and "These photos are wonderful. What a lovely family."
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