Photos Shared on Global Online Community Reddit
"Grandmother Who Defected from the North Meets Grandfather, a U.S. Soldier"
Photos of a U.S. soldier deployed to Korea during the Korean War and his Korean partner have been released, capturing the attention of netizens around the world.
Recently, a post titled "My Grandparents and Father in 1952-1953" was uploaded to the Korea topic board of the global online community Reddit. The poster, identified as A, wrote, "My grandmother was originally from North Korea. During the war, her hometown was bombed, so she defected to the South and later found work as a nurse at the military base where my grandfather was stationed," sharing several photos.
The black-and-white photos show an American man in military uniform and a woman dressed in hanbok. The man is holding a baby, who appears to be his son, in his arms. The man's coat bears the insignia of the Eighth United States Army. The Eighth Army played a pivotal role in the Incheon Landing Operation during the Korean War, and many of its subordinate units are still stationed in South Korea today as part of the U.S. Forces Korea.
They are reported to have returned to the United States after passing through post-war Germany and Korea. Reddit capture
Other photos feature the man smiling broadly with shaving cream on his chin, the woman smiling at her son during his first birthday celebration, and the woman posing in a shooting stance with a rifle. Regarding the boy covering his ears and grimacing behind the woman as she shoots, A explained, "That's my father."
According to A, his grandmother was 20 and his grandfather was 26 at the time the photos were taken. After the war ended, A's grandmother followed her husband to Germany for work, then returned to South Korea in the 1960s. By the time A was born, the family was living in Washington State, USA. It is reported that she passed away in 2004 due to old age.
A recalled, "My grandparents loved each other until the very end. My grandfather always did whatever my grandmother asked of him." He added, "My grandmother cared for her grandchildren with love, personally making seaweed soup or peeling grapes for us."
As of September 3 (Korean time), the post has been deleted from Reddit. Explaining the reason, A said, "I'm a shy person and value my privacy. I didn't expect the post to gain so much attention. Honestly, it was stressful," but added, "I hope my grandparents' warmth will be remembered."
Netizens who saw the photos commented, "What a wonderful family. This must have historical value," "The most beautiful couple I've ever seen," and "It's touching that love blossomed between people from such different cultures during such turbulent times."
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