LLT 180 Study Guide – Korean War

Know the political context of the Korean War.

Be able to locate Korea on a map of Asia, and to locate the cities of Pusan and Pyongyang on a map 
of the Korean peninsula.

Observe battle and civilian conditions in Korea as depicted in the Korean film ‘Tae Guk Gi’.

Be ready to write on the information that Mr. Batson and Mr. Brose, Korean War veterans, share on their videos.

Consider the performance of Rudy Hernandez in the Korean War which won him the Congressional Medal of Honor.  How was his performance similar to that of Colonel Chamberlain, who also won the MOH in the Civil War?

Topics to Ponder (based on the book, film, and interview):

• What are the values of the Korean people and of the ROK (Republic of Korea) Army during the Korean War?
• What values did Shin bring to the military, developed by his culture and family?
• What issues were uppermost in Shin’s mind during his service as he recollects it?
• What effect did the landscape and climate of Korea have on troops?
• What are the special difficulties for a soldier fighting in his own homeland as displayed by Shin?
• Does Shin recount any actions that you would call heroic?
• Do you share any of Shin’s values, in or out of the military?
• Are Korean conceptions of excellence, ‘heroics’, different from those displayed by Homer, Crane, or Inui?
• What are the particular hardships of the Korean War for Koreans?