Abai Village, also known as Cheongho-dong in Sokcho, is a frontier region explored by North Korean refugees in the Korean War. In the Japanese colonial era, the village went through the Korean War. Sokcho Port was built in this area. Although many fac...
Abai Village, also known as Cheongho-dong in Sokcho, is a frontier region explored by North Korean refugees in the Korean War. In the Japanese colonial era, the village went through the Korean War. Sokcho Port was built in this area. Although many factories sprung up in this neighborhood trying to tap into plenty of fishery resources, Cheongho-dong has geographical disadvantages and adverse natural conditions in terms of the settlement because it is adjacent to coastal areas.
What advantage of sandy soil, where drinking water is not available, has attracted refugees? North Korean refugees came to the South through the US naval vessels when the Army mainly withdrew on January Forth. While coming toward the North with the military march, the refugees came near the seashores that did not belong to anyone to make a living. And as the refugees from other regions moved in a chain movement centered on those who had already settled, a collective settlement of refugees who could not return to their hometowns, that is, displaced people, was formed in Cheongho-dong.
Attachment to an unapproachable hometown, collective empathy from refugees in the same shoes, and a struggling instinct for survival in the poor environment resulted in refugees' unique identities. However, a sense of nostalgia, extinction of emotional support, and endless longing for their hometown caused identity crises and survival anxiety, forcing them to keep their hometown's food, language, and culture.
A typical example is Bukcheong sajanoreum, a folk game used to be played in Hamju, JeongPyeong, and Ham Heung, including Bukcheong, by immigrant refugees during wartime on the day of the first full moon of the lunar year from Sokcho for fundraising money for the Bukcheong provincial government. This fork play has been inherited as a tradition to today. It has become deep-rooted traditional folk culture as intangible cultural property in Gangwon-do Province. The name of this fork play changed from Bukcheong sajanoreum to Sokcho Bukchoeng Sajanoreum to Sokcho Sajanori. The history of changed expressions indicates changed awareness in refugees and post-war generations and representation of their identity. This interpretation means that a refugee's culture is passed down to this generation and inherited as a tradition, widespread through Buckcheong to Sokcho.
Findings showed that Sokcho Sajanori, which passed down the intention to pursue their vision, consistently reminds refugees of their identity. It also means the tradition is inherited spiritually to future generations. A refugee spirit in the Bukcheong Sajanoreum can be a medium to pass down the spirit to a future generation. The tradition is passed on from refugees to post-war generations to now Sokcho residents as meaningful as a medium for determining an Abai village identity, which is likely forgettable with gradually disappearing wartime generations.
Thus, implications suggest our mission to preserve regional traditions and remind us of the importance of remaining folk culture. This uniqueness of cultural tradition can serve as a medium to make a strong identity for the refugee community and prolong the life of the faded inspirational spirit.