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?