We agreed to meet in Masan during

the January-Fourth Retreat but only made it to Daejeon.

I've finally reunited with her.

(I should have held your hand tighter)

We sought refuge separately

because it was a time of emergency.

I believe I was the last one to leave Seoul.

They said we only needed to hide for five days.

I followed my sister and we sought refuge together.

Our maternal grandmother passed away there.

We came here twice to find our father.

We lost our father at the January-Fourth Retreat.

(They lived apart for years without news of each other)

(They lost each other in the crowd of refugees)

(KBS "Finding Dispersed Families" Live Broadcast, 1983)

(Over 100,000 families applied)

(Only 10,000 families were reunited)

(At the time, we had no idea)

(That we wouldn't see each other for over 30 years)

My family defected during the January-Fourth Retreat.

At the Yeongdeungpo train platform in Seoul,

we were going to ride the train but lost each other.

I was sixteen then and lost my sister there.

I grabbed all my siblings and my parents

and tied us together so we wouldn't lose another one.

Thank goodness our parents are alive!

(There are still people out there)

(Waiting to reunite with their families)

(Korean Diaspora: Divided Families)