To ten year old Jjang and his friends, the upcoming singing contest is more important than news of war. It is July, 1950, a month into the Korean War, but life for Jjang and his fellow residents of this small Southern Korean village remains simple. War arrives abruptly when U.S. soldiers drive in and order all the villagers to leave. With children on their backs and carts laden with belongings they treck south on foot but are forced off the road. As the villagers walk along t...more

To ten year old Jjang and his friends, the upcoming singing contest is more important than news of war. It is July, 1950, a month into the Korean War, but life for Jjang and his fellow residents of this small Southern Korean village remains simple. War arrives abruptly when U.S. soldiers drive in and order all the villagers to leave. With children on their backs and carts laden with belongings they treck south on foot but are forced off the road. As the villagers walk along the railroad, American planes swoop in without warning and strafe and bomb the civilians, killing many. The survivors seek shelter under a railroad bridge culvert. Then U.S. soldiers receive orders to fire on the villagers.less