Around August 15 1945 in one Korean family (3)

I took a basical education at the Chongjin Ironworks as an apprentice mechanic and then planned to have a professional training in a coke part of chemical section, but the War situation　became worse day by day. Okinawa had been already occupied and Kamikaze was not so effective, so we were on the verge of the day of decisive battle in the mainland.

Coke was necessary to produce iron as strategic materials, so we were forced to do restless hard work day after day to avoid the coke on the conveyer belt falling down, which would stop the conveyer if it did.

As it was impossible to operate the furnace without casting up the coke on the belt, we worked as a team from 9 in the morning to 5 in the evening. Each team consisted of 12 members and there were about 10 teams.
I was not strong enough to do the hard work. But I had keeep doing such hard work every day which my colleagues sympathized me but the labor manager didnt care at all since he didnt have humanity even a bit of the sparrows tear.
During the fifteen minutes rest time, I recalled the faces of my mother, brother, and sister. Such painful days continued.
Oh, why did this war break out and why did we have to fight？

On the 6th of August in 1945, The A-bomb was dropped in Hiroshima but the newspapers only reported that A new-type bomb was dropped and we were damaged heavily.

Around 11am on the 7th of August in 1945, the fatal day arrived.

The Soviet fleet and their landing crafts departed from the naval port in Vladivostok. They ignored the Nonaggression Pact between Japan and Soviet Union and joined forces with American and British allied Navy began to bombard the Chongjin port and prepared to land.

We left the ironworks leaving the gates of all the coke furnaces open.
We packed up our things at room No.52 in the Chonghun training camp in Chongjin City and headed to our hometown in the South.
When we got nearly 100 meter to the Lanam station, suddenly over 30 MPs (Military Police) appeared and ordered, All the young men over sixteen should join the army and defend Lanam to the last and destroy the Soviet military that landed Chongjin.

We all threw away our baggage and obeyed the MP's order.
We went into an army placed with Lanam division headquarters and were taken to the wooden one-story cottage in appearance, but to our surprise, it was a two-story cottage inside. In munitions storehouse, we were supplied with battle dress, battle shoes, grade stripe, valise, rifle, trench knife and 120 bullets and 50 spare bullets were put in my valise.
Our troop was formally declared Abe platoon, Hoshino party, 202 Korean force..
Then I was named Keizou Hara (Lee Jonggun), a private E-1 of the 3d section in the 2nd platoon.

My last name, Hara, came from my ancestors last name, who was a Chinese great general and afterward he was naturalized as a Korean citizen and was granted the last name by the king of Koryeo in the Koryeo period. I succeeded the granted last name itself.
The reason was that since I became a soldier of the private E-1, I hoped that I might be protected by the luck of my great Korean general ancestor in the war.

I added ZOU (means three) in the latter half of my first name after Kei Hara who was shot on 2.26 assassination, wishing that I would have three lives.
I remember a student who was a classmate of my elder brother Lee Jongyun who studied at Meiji University and　came home during the summer vacation and explained about the details of the 2.26 incident. It was said Japan was a land of the Deity, and thus the members of the revolt against the Emperor misled Japan to such a defeated ending. It was too much to ask for my weakness.

I love the goodness of Japan. My former teacher, Mr. Kenjiro Saisyo (came from Kumamoto, Kyusyu district) and Mr. Tsutomu Nagao, both taught me complete honesty. I want to keep what they taught me throughout my life.