“If you ever see me retreat, shoot me.” Paik Sun-Yup used to say this to his soldiers during the Korean War. He turned 100 with the turn of a new year. “General, you’ve lived for 100 years, how do you feel?” Before I even finish the question, he answers, “100 years? That’s nothing.” This is what a ‘national hero’, who became a general at 29 years of age and a 4 star general at the age of 32, the youngest in the history of Korea’s army and saved the country risking his own life, said. And with a booming voice, he fluently goes on to recall in detail his most memorable battle from the war, the battle of Dabudong. If the North Korean People’s Army that pushed relentlessly down to Nakdong river in Dabudong was only a little late, Daegu and Busan would have been decimated. It wasn’t long since the South Korean military had been founded, the South lacked proper equipment and the big gap in ability between the South and the North was very wide; while the U.S. army gave no recognition to the South, the General argued that they should change the plan to make a detour to go to Pyeongyang that Macarthur and his men had made on their way from Incheon. He insisted that they go to Pyungyang directly. He used the English he had learned at Pyungyang University of Education. “Pyeongyang is my hometown, I know the way.” The U.S. Commander Milburn, though incredulous at first, approved, seeing General Paik’s attitudes, spirit and willpower. And just like that, they walked day and night and reclaimed Pyungyang; a story that is very hard to believe. He still remembers all the details at 100 years of age which is implausible for a human, even young people are amazed at this. “How did a soldier in his twenties manage to do that?” “Thinking that this is the end, it’s over that gave me courage, power, and the determination to save the country. It gave me such willpower.” He learned Chinese when a student in Manchuria, interrogating communist captives from China himself and acting as a Chinese interpreter for the U.S. commander. This makes me think that God bore Paik SunYup in Pyungyang and raised and summoned him to save this country. All of this is beyond human comprehension. Thereafter he worked as the ambassador for Taiwan which was the Republic of China at that time, France, Canada and several countries of Europe including Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and several countries of Africa. In total, he worked as the ambassador for 19 countries. In addition, he once worked as the Minister of Transportation and constructed Seoul’s first subway system. He also went to Japan to borrow money as the head of public institutions including 6 fertilizer factories. Listening to all the stories of his diverse contributions to this country, I feel his 100 years were actually, to the contrary, quite something. Facing the General, I can feel his heart and willpower. I had thought that this generation lacks a true elder, but here he is, equipped with 100 times the bravery and energy of 100 years. Facing such an attitude like his, I come to think that the power and wealth that almost everyone strives for really mean nothing in life. The General keeps boasting “I studied at Pyeongyang University of Education, you know.” Usually I pass over such remarks, but today, considering the fact that Kim Jong Un’s regime in Pyeongyang – which the world has disregarded so far, has successfully finished the 2018 North Korea-United States Singapore Summit and Inter-Korean summits, I suddenly think that there might indeed be something different about Pyeongyang. Whenever I meet him, I can feel his pride for having studied at Pyeongyang University of Education. I don’t think it’s because he is conscious of my father who went to the same school. The General has many apprehensions about current issues. He has dedicated his life to protecting this country, at the cost of countless soldiers. “When we reclaimed Pyeongyang, we broke into Kim Ilsung’s office. We have watched them for 70 years and it is certain that the only way to defeat them is to fight them. And you cannot win if you are afraid of fighting.” As I leave his office and hear him say “I am sorry for a lot of things,” I for some reason want to get another look at the first floor. On the first floor of War Memorial of Korea, in which the General’s office is located, names of more than 1.7 million fallen soldiers of Korea and 36,574 fallen soldiers of the U.S. are carved into the lobby, spreading to the outside. Above the U.S. soldiers’ names writes, “Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met” These words can also be found at Korean War Memorial in Washington. My heart aches whenever I read them. Thanks to the U.S. army, security and a global trade economy have been possible, he said. There are times I’ve often forgotten about him, but I am more than grateful that General Paik, a ‘living hero’ lives on this soil, and I am also thankful that he encourages me to visit him anytime. | 
