Program Short Description:

13 grandmothers from Suncheon, Korea, have never learned how to read and write until recently- because they were women, they were poor, and they were born in Korea during Japanese Colonial period and Korean War. The opportunity to learn much later in their lives has given them the ability to express their own life stories through writing and drawing. These Korean grandmothers, who went through the life’s trials and tribulations, and survived the historical turmoil in South Korea, tell us their own stories in heart-warming and humorous ways.

Moderator: Sang Kim

Sang Kim has served as the director of the MU Asian Affairs Center and Missouri International Training Institute since September 2004, and as director of the MU Confucius Institute since November 2015. From 1998, he served in the Asian Affairs Center as the Korean program coordinator, assistant director, associate director and interim director. Sang brings hands-on experience and knowledge of international relations in the Pacific Rim countries to his position at MU. Sang and his teams establish and maintain partnerships and programmatic relationships with universities and government entities. These relationships have resulted in the development of various educational programs for governments and academic and research institutions, which enhance the influence and connections of Missouri throughout Asia.

Participating Artists:

(Jeong-Ja Kwon (91), Myeong-nam Kim (74), Yeong-bun Kim (83), Yu-Rye Kim (60), Jeong-ja Kim (73), Yang-im Ra (88), Gyeong-ae Son (72), An-sim An (83), Sun-rye Yang (91), Sun-nam Im (71), Seon-ja Jan (79), O-deok Jeong (81), Ji-sim Hwang (72) from Suncheon, South Korea