Forgotten War Forgotten Prisoners
I was chosen as a Ross Hazeltine Scholarship recipient which sends a few graduating seniors abroad to report on foreign issues. I chose to go to Brazil and Argentina to meet so called "76 Prisoners." They were former North Korean prisoners of the Korean War who refused to go back to the North or stay in the South, but chose to go to a neutral nation after the armistice. Under the watch of the United Nations, these prisoners were sent to India first. In 1956, 50 of them chose to immigrate to Brazil. 12 of them chose Argentina.
The Korean War is often called the forgotten war. During the war, more than 150,000 North Korean POWs were captured. The prisoners in each compound divided themselves into two groups: Chin-gong (pro-communism) and Ban-gong (anti-communism). Each compound was controlled by one group or the other and often the opposite group staged a coup d`etat to gain control back. The prison camps were under the guard of the United Nation forces which were the U.S. and the South Korean Army, but they only watched prisoners during the daytime. After 6pm, there was killing between the two sides. After the war, more than 50% of former North Korean prisoners refused to be sent back to their own home. Within this group, 76 prisoners refused both sides, but chose to go to a neutral nation: India. Following a few years in India, in 1956, 50 of them moved to Brazil and 12 of them moved to Argentina.
To me, they were interesting subjects to meet. The Korean War was one the bloodiest wars in the 20th century. It was a unique war that represents how Cold War ideology determined soldiers’ lives. They had to abandon their homes and kill each other even in prison camps. After the war, massive number of prisoners refused to be sent back to their own home. Without any family or cultural background, 62 young males chose to move to different countries. I wanted to find out why they abandoned their own home, chose to move to completely unknown places that did not have any connection to them, and how they assimilated into these new cultures. They are “forgotten prisoners” in a “forgotten war.” I met 7 prisoners. Many of the others have passed away. I traveled to Cuiaba, Florianopolis, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires to meet them. I had a formal interviewing session, set up a portable lighting set, took portraits, and documented their daily lives.
The Korean War is often called the forgotten war. During the war, more than 150,000 North Korean POWs were captured. The prisoners in each compound divided themselves into two groups: Chin-gong (pro-communism) and Ban-gong (anti-communism). Each compound was controlled by one group or the other and often the opposite group staged a coup d`etat to gain control back. The prison camps were under the guard of the United Nation forces which were the U.S. and the South Korean Army, but they only watched prisoners during the daytime. After 6pm, there was killing between the two sides. After the war, more than 50% of former North Korean prisoners refused to be sent back to their own home. Within this group, 76 prisoners refused both sides, but chose to go to a neutral nation: India. Following a few years in India, in 1956, 50 of them moved to Brazil and 12 of them moved to Argentina.
To me, they were interesting subjects to meet. The Korean War was one the bloodiest wars in the 20th century. It was a unique war that represents how Cold War ideology determined soldiers’ lives. They had to abandon their homes and kill each other even in prison camps. After the war, massive number of prisoners refused to be sent back to their own home. Without any family or cultural background, 62 young males chose to move to different countries. I wanted to find out why they abandoned their own home, chose to move to completely unknown places that did not have any connection to them, and how they assimilated into these new cultures. They are “forgotten prisoners” in a “forgotten war.” I met 7 prisoners. Many of the others have passed away. I traveled to Cuiaba, Florianopolis, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires to meet them. I had a formal interviewing session, set up a portable lighting set, took portraits, and documented their daily lives.