Dad's Memoirs

The link will open Dad's memoirs, kindly typed in Korean by Kwonsa KWON Young Ae of Young Nak Church. She is the kind lady who wrote the article in the YN newspaper about Dad not too long ago. She has been a very special friend to our family, during these past several years.


Below is a link to his memoirs. The first page of English translation is provided beneath.

Dad's Memoirs (in Korean)



My Life – Reflections from a Life Well-Lived

Thirty six years have passed since I left my beloved Korea to begin life anew in the States. I have logged over ninty eventful years in this world. Although I can’t recall every detail from every moment, I want to write down all that comes to mind, giving thanks to God who has made it all possible. Just three years ago, my partner in life, my dear wife of 70 years was stricken with alzheimer’s disease, eventually moving to a nursing home for round the clock care. I too have many ailments and life poses many physical challenges. Lord, give me strength and insight so that I can remember and write well.

Thinking about my years, a phrase from a song or a hymn comes to mind, “Life’s road, where have I trod, where am I headed?” Like the writer of those lyrics, I too had little to add to this world on my own, having little control of my own destiny. But God has been merciful to me, the whole of my life, never abandoning me but abiding with me and all that I hold dear. He is the One who arranged for our move to the States, continued to guide our lives and even now is helping me in this phase of life, to live at Kirkwood with my dear wife (recently moved to the nursing home).

To my father, HONG Yoon Soo and my mother, KIM Yoon Hang, I was born, their third son. Their first son died at an early age and I did not know his name. Names of my siblings: above me was my older brother Soon Ho and below me were, in order of decreasing age, Soon Suk (brother), Soon Jun (sister), Soon Il (brother), Soon Sun (sister), Soon Bok (sister). So, I was the third son in a family of 4 sons and 3 daughters.

I was born (see the map) in a small village in Hwang Hae Do, Eun Yool Goon, Suh Boo Myun Suhg Gyo Rhee. I lived there until age 5 but I have no memories of that place. (The approximate location is shown in the map below, along with the locations of Jin-Nampo and Seoul and the general direction of Jilin (Manchuria), some of the places that I called home at various times.) My father’s parents died when he was young and his older brother Hong, Myung Soo helped to raise him. He also had an older sister. After marrying, he lived with his in-laws who were relatively wealthy. That is where we were born into this world. They were able to save up enough to move out of the village, motivated by the thought that they did not want to see their children become farmers in a small village. I remember vividly the day when we packed our belongings and rode the oxen cart to Jang Nyung Eup, another village about 20Km away. The trip took the whole day. Our new home was next to a very noisy glass factory that was somewhat dangerous due to their use of fire. The new village had a lot more houses and people and there were more children to play with. Just up the hill from our house was a presbyterian church. Whenever the bell rang for Sunday services, I would run up the hill to meet and play with my friends. My brother had grown to school age, and he enrolled in the Jang Nyung public normal school. On a given day. both my parents would be working in the field and my brother would be away at school, so my younger siblings and I would spend our time at home with Grandmother. .... more to come from this translation project