(written by Bok-ah, an activist in the Korean Council)
Two activists, Bok-ah and Bang-hak, boarded the train early in the morning to visit LEE Yong-soo halmoni in Daegu. It was my(Bok-ah) first time visiting her. Since she is one of the most active victim-survivors leading the movement, I used to meet her at press conferences and demonstrations. She always looks strong when she speaks with a microphone in front of the crowd and cameras, and I wondered what she would be like personally.
When we got off at Daegu Station, we bought a generous amount of her favorite eel soup as a gift for her. When I arrived at her house, she sat at the dining table. She worried about Bang-hak's health when she saw us because she had sick leave last month. "You were sick last month, and your face is hollow." It was a genuine, warm concern. We sat around the table and talked. But halmoni said she had a lot on her mind and was stressed. We tried our best to relieve her stress and make her relax as much as possible.
It was almost lunchtime, and halmoni recommended the beef soup - a special in Daegu. During the day with her, I experienced two moments of excitement: on the way to the restaurant, halmoni held my hand firmly as she sat beside me in the taxi. When we arrived at the restaurant, she said, "Ah-ga(baby)! Come here" and showed me a big steaming cauldron of beef soup, just like her grandchild.
After enjoying the meal, halmoni suggested we go to the cafe. She told us stories of her activities across the United States, and I deeply admire and respect her courage and determination. I hoped that the next time I visited her, the things that bothered her would be gone, and I would see her relaxed more.
(written by Bok-ah, an activist in the Korean Council)
Two activists, Bok-ah and Bang-hak, boarded the train early in the morning to visit LEE Yong-soo halmoni in Daegu. It was my(Bok-ah) first time visiting her. Since she is one of the most active victim-survivors leading the movement, I used to meet her at press conferences and demonstrations. She always looks strong when she speaks with a microphone in front of the crowd and cameras, and I wondered what she would be like personally.
When we got off at Daegu Station, we bought a generous amount of her favorite eel soup as a gift for her. When I arrived at her house, she sat at the dining table. She worried about Bang-hak's health when she saw us because she had sick leave last month. "You were sick last month, and your face is hollow." It was a genuine, warm concern. We sat around the table and talked. But halmoni said she had a lot on her mind and was stressed. We tried our best to relieve her stress and make her relax as much as possible.
It was almost lunchtime, and halmoni recommended the beef soup - a special in Daegu. During the day with her, I experienced two moments of excitement: on the way to the restaurant, halmoni held my hand firmly as she sat beside me in the taxi. When we arrived at the restaurant, she said, "Ah-ga(baby)! Come here" and showed me a big steaming cauldron of beef soup, just like her grandchild.
After enjoying the meal, halmoni suggested we go to the cafe. She told us stories of her activities across the United States, and I deeply admire and respect her courage and determination. I hoped that the next time I visited her, the things that bothered her would be gone, and I would see her relaxed more.