DPRK Defectors Speak out

North Korean Defectors speak about life in the DPRK and the prison camps there.

1957 Korea, Sand Pit Cultural Exchange

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Skosh, the orphan: Korea 1962

Skosh, 1962.

 The name like many probably came from Skoshi, 

Japanese term meaning (roughly Speaking, soon or in a hurry.

Sokcho, Korea, 1962

Our Detachment commander was waiting in Sokcho (Korea), for one of our Korean employees on the East Coast of Korea when a tiny little boy about five years old came to his Jeep and begged for money. The lieutenant asked where his parents were and he began crying. It was raining cats and dogs and the L-T put the little fellow on his lap and turned up the heat in the Jeep. We later took him in as our mascot (this was 1962) and sent him to school, clothed him and fed him This picture is about 18 months after we "adopted" him.

A good friend of mine told me that when he went back to Sokcho in 1975, Skosh was gone and no one knew about him or heard of him. Ten years between tours in Korea was almost an eternity because the tour was only one year. My buddy said he heard that a master sergeant adopted him and took him to the US. 

Skosh was very spoiled and once told me to get out of his latrine while he brushed his teeth. Normally, we'd leave him alone while he readied for school but that morning I had an emergency electrical problem in the latrine I had to deal with and the little shit kicked me and yelled again to get out of his latrine! 

My friend recently told me that he was even worse as time went on. No one knew how to deal with an unruly child except his school teachers. By the time I left, I simply avoided him and often ignored him when he'd tell me to go get him a coke. The bartender knew he had a tab that we'd pay if he wanted anything. 

Story as told by Richard Bridges. 2014