Korean History Time: The Kimchi Babies
Welcome back to Korean History Time! June 25 marks the beginning of the Korean War, and is also a holiday celebrated in Korea to commemorate those who lost their lives during the conflict. As such, I’d thought it’d be fitting to share a story from this tragic period that not only reflects hope, but also pride to be an American! Let’s start!
It’s 1950, and winter is setting in on the Korean peninsula. In Hungnam, six-year-old Lee In-jae is living with his grandfather, grandmother, parents, two siblings, his uncle, and his cousins. It was a big family for sure, but normal-sized considering the time period.
Lee In-Jae (6 years old) and his father
But suddenly…
“Pack your things, now!”
The family gathered all that they carried and wrapped them in blankets. Anything besides essential clothes and food was left behind. Dazed and confused, Lee In-Jae found himself walking alongside his family with all that he had on his back. As he anxiously followed the heels of his father, the hushed and nervous chatter of the adults told him that they were not moving—they were fleeing.
But from what? Before In-Jae could ask, the family realized they were not the only ones on the road. Soon they were enveloped by many other families with their belongings—and even babies—strapped to their backs. And before long, that ‘many’ became hundreds of thousands of families, filling the air with the sound of crying infants and the yells of fathers to children to not lose track of them. The sea of refugees stretched as far as In-Jae could see.
So what’s the story behind all this?
On June 25, 1950, North Korean troops crossed into South Korea with surprising speed, signaling the start of the Korean War. In early September, South Korean and UN allied forces gained a solid footing thanks to the success of the Incheon Landing Operation, even recapturing Incheon and Seoul. However, China entered the war in October that same year, threatening to change the tide of war.
Most military scholars consider the Battle of Incheon one of the most decisive military operations in modern warfare. Spencer C. Tucker, the American military historian, described the Incheon landings as "a brilliant success, almost flawlessly executed," which remained "the only unambiguously successful, large-scale US combat operation" for the next 40 years.
By winter, the Chinese forces descended the Korean peninsula and met the US Marine Corps at Jang Jin Ho. Also known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, the US Marine Corps’ 30,000 fought outnumbered against China’s 120,000 strong force. After a brutal 17-day battle in freezing conditions, UN leader General MacArthur ordered a retreat. But the path towards South Korea was cut off by the Chinese, who took advantage of their numbers to encircle the US troops.
Where could they go?
The nearest escape route was the sea. Fortunately, the US Marines broke out of the encirclement and managed to reach the perimeter of Hungnam on December 11. This brings us to the story of the Hungnam Evacuation.
The North Korean refugees had the same idea. Knowing getting caught by the Chinese communists would result in their deaths, 200,000 refugees evacuated to Hungnam Port in hopes that the US would take care of them. Among those refugees were In-Jae and his family. As they all stood in the port, the refugees could only wonder if the US would even evacuate them—and even if the US did evacuate them, could they all fit onto the ships?
Refugees gathered at Hungnam Port, December 1950
Thankfully, there was one person who had the refugees’ best interests at heart. A Korean, US-trained doctor named Hyun Bong-Hak was currently attached to the US Army as a civilian interpreter and a civil advisor. Gazing at the endless multitude of people gathered at the port, Hyun Bong-Hak couldn’t help but worry for the refugees, many of whom were from Hyun’s hometown and surrounding towns and villages.
Hyun Bong-Hak decided he would reach out to the US military for help. At the time, the commanding officer of the US forces at Hungnam was Lieutenant General Edward Almond, a two-star general. But would a two-star general meet with a young Korean civilian?
So instead, Hyun Bong-Hak first approached an officer named Colonel Edward Forney. He pleaded his case to Forney, who told Hyun that evacuating the refugees would be difficult, but that they should still try.
With Colonel Forney’s backing, Hyun Bong-Hak went to convince General Almond.
“If we don’t rescue those refugees, they’ll all die,” Colonel Forney told the general. “What was the point we came to Korea? We must not let them die here.”
General Almond agreed with them, but he explained that it was already difficult enough to evacuate US military personnel and their equipment, which was their first priority. In the end, General Almond couldn’t give them a definite answer on the refugee situation. Understandably, there were various reasons the US was so hesitant to bring in the refugees.
What were the reasons?
“Back then, there were many rumors going around that there were spies among the refugees,” Lee In-Jae said, now 79 years old, in an interview with SBS, “and it’s true that there were.”
So from the perspective of the US army, it was understandable why the US was hesitant to bring refugees onboard. The other reason, which was more pressing, was that there weren’t enough boats to evacuate the refugees in the first place. As it was, there were 100,000 US military personnel that needed to be evacuated. The North Korean refugees numbered 200,000.
To make matters worse, the Chinese and North Korean troops were advancing towards Hungnam rapidly and were only 16km away from the port. That’s only 10 miles away! That’s really close!
The situation looked really bad, and many of the refugees were beginning to get anxious. Honestly, I wouldn’t be feeling too good, either.
But suddenly, boats begin coming into port! The South Korean and US navies had gathered all the ships they could, amassing a fleet of 193 ships in total. As soon as the boats arrived, evacuation of US soldiers began as fast as possible. However, there still wasn’t enough space for the refugees…
But guess who came to save the day?
Colonel Forney! Turns out, Colonel Forney was also an amphibious evacuation specialist! Appointed the chief evacuation officer by General Almond, Colonel Forney used a very meticulous strategy to fill every ship to the max occupational hold. By placing equipment and vehicles on the ships first, then inserting refugees between, on, and around, Colonel Forney was able to increase ships’ limits! Kinda like playing Tetris!
Colonel Forney was appointed Hungnam evacuation officer by General Almond and organized the withdrawal of over 100,000 servicemen – and their equipment, supplies, and vehicles – and evacuated over 100,000 North Korean refugees, the largest U.S. amphibious evacuation of civilians, under combat conditions, in American history.
Even with Colonel Forney’s strategy, it still wasn’t enough! To create more room, US soldiers voluntarily threw their equipment and supplies overboard into the port. Yet even then, there were still many refugees waiting to be evacuated.
On December 20, 1950, the USS Meredith Victory arrived at Hungnam Port. The cargo ship’s captain, Leonard LaRue, had been ordered to evacuate US military personnel only, but the US soldiers asked if they could take the refugees in as well. Without hesitation, LaRue agreed.
At 9:30pm on December 22, the USS Meredith Victory began loading the refugees. Using a freight crane, sailors lowered the refugees into the ship’s vast cargo hold. Once the bottom of the ship had all been filled, the crew placed a temporary metal grid-like shelf over the refugees, so that more people could be loaded into the boat. Using the shelf method several times, USS Meredith Victory was able to load 14,000 refugees. The ship was only meant to hold 12 passengers and cargo.
USS Meredith Victory was designed to hold only 12 passengers, but found itself swarmed with people.
This wondrous feat earned USS Meredith Victory the title “Ship of Miracles.”
But that wasn’t all. On its voyage to Geoje Island, the USS Meredith Victory was enveloped in commotion. A woman’s screams filled the cramped quarters of the cargo hold, startling people awake. What is it? What’s going on?
On December 25, 1950, a baby was born onboard the USS Meredith Victory. And not just one either—five babies in total were born on Christmas Day! Talk about a Christmas miracle!
The US sailors didn’t know any Korean names, but they wanted to nickname the babies with something that symbolized Korea. At the end, they decided to call each of the babies Kimchi: Kimchi 1, Kimchi 2, Kimchi 3, Kimchi 4, and Kimchi 5.
Sohn Yang-Young, aka Kimchi 1
When the USS Meredith Victory sailed into Geoje harbor, everybody had survived the voyage. In fact, among every single person that evacuated from Hungnam port to South Korea, nobody had died. In total, over 100,000 refugees had been evacuated to South Korea, and over 100,000 servicemen and their equipment alongside with them. The Hungnam Evacuation was a stellar success, becoming the largest amphibious evacuation of civilians in American history.
Cool fact! South Korean President Moon Jae-In’s parents were among the refugees from North Korea. He was born on Geoje Island two years later.
For its miraculous actions, the USS Meredith Victory even won the Guinness World Record for the largest humanitarian rescue operation by a single ship, evacuating more than 14,000 refugees in a single trip.
But is this all to the story?
Behind this miracle, there were sacrifices.
The 1st Division of the US Marine Corps was ordered to evacuate Hungnam by air, but the 1st Division refused. Instead, they stayed behind to buy more time for the evacuation. They then retreated by land, fighting the Chinese and North Korean forces for 100km until they returned to South Korean soil.
Thanks to their efforts, the advance of the Chinese forces were delayed by two more weeks.
The US and UN casualty count was 7,000. Among the fallen were Korean translators, attached to the UN allied force.
Final words
I just wanted to say that as an American, I am very proud of the servicemen who gave up their comfort, their needs, and their safety in order to help just one more refugee escape. The fact that so many were willing to walk 100km in freezing winter conditions—without knowing if they would survive the trip—just to buy more time for the refugees to evacuate, makes me want to flaunt the American part of my identity. I am an American, just like those men who saved those refugees. How cool is that?
It’s also very sobering to learn of my culture’s tragic past. As a Korean-American, I believe it’s very important to understand and know what shaped the Korean part of my identity. The Korean War is a story of broken families and a broken people. Many at Hungnam Port left behind family members that they would never see again. The fact that so many of our Korean grandparents (at least mine) grew up in this generation help me understand them better, and what the hardships they went through growing up in a third world South Korea.
Yet the five babies born on Christmas aboard the USS Meredith Victory also reminds me of the hope and the strong vitality of the Korean people—that we shouldn’t give up, that we never did, and thus spurred South Korea to became one of the top countries in the modern world. This Korean part of my identity gives me strength and courage to keep going when things get rough, and I hope it does for you, too.
