45. Father visited North Korea

Father visited North Korea in late 80’s. Uncle went there first and brought the news of the family. I think father was a bit scared of going to North Korea since he served South Korean Marines and fought against them. Encouraged by his brother, father decided to go and see his family.

 

In 80’s, there were pro North Korean organizations in America and they provided the opportunities to visit North Korea. People who went there early got the warm welcome from North Korean government officials. In 70’s, South Korean government invited pro-north Japanese-Koreans. To show off to them, the government fixed and painted their relatives’ houses and added brand new refrigerators and TV’s. 

 

Father met his siblings in 40 years. North Korean government brought few of them to Pyong Yang, the capital. Father expressed his desire to see the rest of them, and they took him to where they lived, countryside. There were even newly built grave stones for my grandparents. 

 

During the dinner party given by the local communist party, one of his younger brothers kicked my father, said “You, son of bitch,” and abruptly left the room. The whole family was kicked out of the home town and sent to the mine after father visited them during the Korean War. They all had pretty hard lives since then. None of the siblings and their children could become the party member. 

 

Next morning, his brother showed up for the breakfast. He bowed to father and apologized to him. It appeared that the party officials had words with him. 

 

Father went back one more time in early 90’s. After father and uncle’s visit, a couple of their cousins were able to join the party. Father felt guilty toward his siblings until his last day. He was obsessed with the lottery tickets. He had a dream of building a noodle factory in his hometown so that his siblings and their families would have better lives. 

 

I used to be a member of the lottery club at work. Amparo, a Pilipino lady at work, led the group. There were approximately twenty of us and we all paid $2 fees each week. One of the tickets hit five numbers and we won little bit over $2,000. My share was $200. That's the most I ever won from the lottery tickets. The club ended as she retired. 

 

High percentage of Korean immigrants to America is from North Korea. For them, South Korea was still a foreign land and it was easy for them to leave it. Quite a few people who still had families in North Korea went to see their families. The number of the first generation of displaced people is decreasing every year. My father, his uncle, and his cousins who came from North Korea are all no longer with us. 

 

I have number of cousins in North Korea. I never met them and would not recognize them. Since I do not know them, I don’t miss them either. I have no burning desire to visit father’s hometown. In theory, I am all for the reunification of Korean peninsula. But realistically, how many of us are willing to pay for the cost of it? Probably, not many.