만주에서 거제도, 그리고 인도까지: 어느 ‘반공포로’의 생존 기록

Abstract

This thesis focused on the life of a Prisoner of War (POW), Ji, Ki-Chul. Ji was born in Yecheon-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, and later raised in Manchuria (current northeastern region in mainland China). After being drafted by the Japanese Kwangtung Army during the Pacific War, Ji participated in the Chinese Civil War as a soldier of the Chosun volunteer army as well. During his final service as a North Korean People’s Army soldier during the Korean War, Ji had been taken as a POW by the United Nations forces. Refusing both North and South Korea, Ji made a choice to go to Neutral Nation and eventually settled down in India as a prosperous business person. There lies three key factors behind focusing on the life of this certain POW. Above all, his participation in some of the most brutal wars in East Asia at the time will provide us with great insights and perspectives on imperialism, militarism and the reality of the Cold War. Subsequently, the life of Ji may help unravel the true state of ‘neutrality’ and ‘choice,’ which had been considered as the symbol of these POWs. Ji is one of the eighty-eight POWs of the Korean War who has settled in India after refusing both North and South Korea. Microscopic analysis on the life of Ji has instead excavated traces of structural imbalance as well as loopholes in the history written by the victors. Drafted by the 1st Japanese Kwantung Army located in Manchuria, Ji fought in the battles against the Soviet Union. Ji eventually received the news about the independence of the Korean peninsula during his stay in Kyushu, Japan. Since he had no emotional attachment, he crossed the peninsula to reach his families in Manchuria. However, he was embroiled in the Chinese Civil War not so long after his return. Ji had been originally deployed in the 166th Korean Division of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This division was later reorganized as the 6th Division of the North Korea’s People’s Army, requiring Ji to participate in the Korean War. Despite the southward advance of Ji and his artillery regiment towards the Jinju area during the Korean War, his forces began to collapse after the Battle of Inchon (Operation Chromite) commanded by the U.S. Army. Deeply disappointed at the incompetence of the North Korean People’s Army, Ji determined to surrender. As a POW, he has openly emphasized his position as an anti-communist to the U.S. Army. The influence of Ki-Myeong Ji, his elder brother, seems to be the reason behind such ideology. Ki-Myeong Ji had been participating in underground anti-communist movements in North Korea. He had been persuading Ji to convert long before the war by guaranteeing a better life. Life as a POW was not as how Ji had expected. He was obviously treated equally as other POWs by the U.S. Army. Ji believed he deserved better, and appealed for privileged treatment. After negotiations with the South Korean military officers, he was moved to an anti-communist POW camp in Dongjang-ri, Panmunjeom. As a battalion commander of the 40th POW camp in Panmunjeom, Ji maintained intimate relations with the South Korean Military Police Headquarters. He also directly supported anti-communist activities of POWs upon receiving orders from President Syngman Rhee. The decision on selecting a neutral nation by such an extreme ‘anti-communist’ was unexpected. More indefinable and political reasons might have triggered his final decision, but it is quite evident that Ji wished to settle in an anti-communist nation. He refused to remain in India, a pro-communist nation that was in charge of the eighty-eight POWs at the time. As one of the representative anti-communist POWs, Ji had encountered multiple conflicts during his two year stay in India. While other POWs migrated to Brazil and Argentina, he decided to wait and move to Mexico. However, he was rejected by the Mexican government, and eventually forced to settle in India. The geographical location was what had driven Ji to select Mexico. He believed it would be easier to move to the “anti-communist” U.S. However, Mexico withdrew its intent to accept POWs. While waiting for the delayed and disappointing announcement by the Mexican government, Ji failed to migrate to Brazil and Argentina, leaving himself with no other option but to settle in India. He repeatedly filed petitions to return to South Korea, but both the South Korean government and the U.N. were unable to take any measures. So Ji opened a new chapter in his life as a business person in various areas such as poultry farms, wigs, granite, and so forth. Entrance in the Middle Eastern markets by Hyundai also allowed Ji to provide them with labor force which was a lucrative business opportunity. His later years were obviously not as tragic as those of other POWs. However, his life was victimized by the historic violence of modern East Asian warfare. Ji was born amid the Japanese imperial concept of “Greater East Asia(大東亞)”, which fatally collapsed. China, Japan, North Korea and South Korea subsequently sought to construct their own nation states. However, Ji had failed to settle down in any of such nations. His status as a ‘POW’ was a tag and price he had to undertake in order to end his life as an internally displaced person. The life story of Ji has been documented based on four U.N. POW interrogation reports and testimonies found in domestic/foreign media. Documents in the Diplomatic Archives of South Korea as well as POW related documents reported to the U.S. Department of State have been analyzed to presume Ji’s life in India. Interim and final reports of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Committee(NNRC) were used as references for incidents within the POW camps.