Sorae

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• Grandpa
• Angelus by Francois Millet: the most popular painting in Korea. Korea's cultural root is in agriculture. There are many Christians in Korea. For instance, Kim Il-Sung, the Stalinist dictator who ruled North Korea from 1945 to 1994, was born and raised in a Christian family. Photo courtesy of the Orsay Museum in Paris. Koreans are also art-loving people.

• Sorae was the name of the first church in Korea, established in 1884. I received my infant baptism and learned the basic Bible lessons from this church. The village of Sorae is now under the control of the North Korean regime. I left this village and came to the South in May of 1946. I like to visit my home village!
  Wedding. After a wedding ceremony in the church (1943). The bride was my second cousin (the youngest daughter of my grandfather's younger brother). The church had two separate doors for men (left) and for women (right). They had to sit in two separate sections.
• License Plate. My car carries the license plates proudly saying SORAE.
• Sorae Beach. The village of Sorae was on a beautiful beach. Before 1941, this beach used to be a very popular spot among Americans. In one of the photos, Americans are playing valley ball. There are American houses on the on the beach hill.
• Thomas Aquinas: in the dormitory room where St. Thomas Aquinas used to study and pray (Naples, Italy, 1998). Like many Koreans, I have a very strong background. I am writing a series of articles on Christianity which may be highly controversial. I would like to thank Prof. Salvatore Solimeno taking me to this place and taking this photo.
  Portrait of Thomas Aquinas
• with the Underwoods. My American connection can be traced to my grandfather. He had an American friend named Horace Underwood. Dr. Underwood came to Korea in 1885 as the first American missionary. His son and grandchildren all worked for Korea since then. From time to time, my family had contacts with the Underwoods. In this photo taken in Urbana (illinois) on October 25 (2003), I am with my wife, Richard Underwood and Mrs. Underwood. Richard is Horace's youngest grandson. Horace Underwood had an elder brother known to Americans as the pioneer of typewriters. Some of you will remember those good-old-days Underwood typewriters.
• Longing for Democracy. Koreans had their first general election in May of 1948. I was in my 6th grade (graduating year) in my elementary school, and we produced a drama about this historic election.

• First Four Years in U.S.A. I came to the United States in September of 1954, seven months after shaking hands with General Maxwell Taylor, to become a freshman at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh.