The Hungarian Revolutionary War and Korean Students: Rep. Yoo Jay-kun Awarded "Commander's Cross Order of Merit" From Hungarian Gov't
Representing Hungarian government, Rep. Yoo Jay-kun (left) receives the "Commander's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary - Civil Division," from Katalin Szili, speaker of Hungarian National Assembly, for Rep. Yoo's venture to participate in the war against the Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary in 1956, at the Hungarian ambassador's residence on Aug. 25, 2006.
On Oct. 23, 1956, college students took to the streets in Budapest, Hungary. They shouted slogans, "Guarantee Freedom of Speech!" "Soviet Army, Go Home!" and "Abolish the Unequal Hungarian-Soviet Treaty!" Demonstrators tore down the Stalin Statue, and attached it to a truck and dragged it along on streets. As some Hungarian soldiers joined them, the demonstration turned into an armed revolt. Prime Minister Ernest Gero asked for the dispatch of the Soviet troops, which, in turn, led to massive bloodletting. Hungarian people - young and old, men and women - took up arms to fight the Soviet troops, while workers called for a general strike. As the situation became worse, Gero stepped down and was succeeded by Imre Nagy and the Soviet troops withdrew to the outside of Budapest. On October 30, the Soviet troops broke their promise to pull out of Hungary. Nagy, who was inaugurated as prime minister on November 1, declared Hungary's withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact in protest against the Soviet troops' deployment. Immediately afterwards, the Soviet Union sent an additional contingent of more than 150,000 troops (including 3,000 tanks) from the border area into Hungary. By November 3, the Soviet troops in Hungary had been augmented from five divisions to 15 divisions. On November 4, the Soviet troops seized all main roads and make raids on Budapest. The door of a house in Budapest hung a sign, "Soviet Army, Go Home!" A Soviet tank shattered the door with fires from a machine gun and pulverized the house with cannon fire. Many Hungarian citizens calling for freedom died tragic deaths helplessly in the presence of Soviet tanks. The Soviet invasion of Hungary shocked the free world. Many Korean intellectuals shuddered at the atrocity of the Soviet Union. Kim Choon-soo, then a young, 34-year-old poet, wrote a poem as if coughing up his own blood.
"O, a girl in Budapest, I know you did not do it all alone. Even if you had drowned in the Han River, I would surely be heartbroken. Will the river shuddering with A bitter memory flow as tears From my eyes today and tomorrow? ..." ("Death of a Girl in Budapest")
In 1956, Yoo Jay-kun (currently a member of the Korean Parliament of the ruling Uri Party) was a freshman majoring in political science at Yonsei University. He had read newspaper articles on the Soviet Army's invasion of Hungary. At the time, he was waiting for a class at the university. Former Speaker Lee Man-sup, then a senior who also studied political science, burst into the classroom. Lee gave a brief speech to his underclassmen who didn't understand what was happening. Lee said, "During the Korean War, the North Korean Army invaded the South, sending Soviet-made tanks first. They attacked us on a peaceful Sunday. Now, the Soviet Army has invaded Hungary, sending their tanks first. Hungarian citizens are standing up to the Soviet tanks, calling for freedom. We cannot afford to sit idly. We should organize a volunteer army to fight the Soviet troops in Hungary. Raise your hands if you want to join the student volunteers." All the freshmen thought Lee was right. His speech caused a flutter in the entire classroom. Students said to themselves, "How can we decide on such a serious issue right now?" or "We should ask for our family's opinions before we decide." Yoo raised his hand without hesitation. Another student who joined him was Sohn Young-tae. A total of nine students volunteered to "fight for the freedom of Hungary." They were Lee Man-sup (class of 1950); Kim Kak, Nam Hong-woo, Hwang Kyu-jin, and Kim Sun-ha (class of 1953); and Yoo, Sohn Young-tae, Cho Dukhaeng and Choi Nam-kyu (class of 1956). After the "Student Volunteers to Fight for the Freedom of Hungary" were organized, Lee led the students to have a meeting with then Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-woo. Lee asked Kim to send the "student volunteers to Hungary." But Kim declined by saying, "I understand your enthusiasm. But it is impossible to help you because of the current international relations." Although the student volunteers were frustrated in their attempt to go to Hungary, the Yonsei students' act made headlines at that time. The students were sympathetic toward the Hungarian people because of their own experience of the Korean War and their country's confrontation with North Korea. No matter how strong a sense of justice they had, it must have been never easy for them to decide on the spot to volunteer to defend the freedom of Hungary. How did Yoo make such an immediate decision? Rep. Yoo said, "My father was kidnapped by North Korean troops at the age of 37 during the Korean War. I was only 14 years old then. I had an antipathy against the Communists. When I was a student of Kyunggi High School, I practiced public speaking. I won several awards at speech contests aimed at arousing anti- Communism. I was an anti-Communist to the core."
On Aug. 25, 2006, Rep. Yoo was awarded "Commander's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary-Civil Division" at the Hungarian ambassador's residence in Seoul. This Hungarian medal of honor is awarded to foreigners who have made conspicuous contributions to the promotion of bilateral relations. Another Korean had received a similar medal of honor from the Hungarian government before Rep. Yoo. He is former House Speaker Lee Man-sup. During his visit to Hungary in March 2002, Lee received "Hungarian Grand Cross of Merit," Hungary's highest medal of honor, for the same reason. Awarding the medal of honor to Lee, then Hungarian President Ferenc Madl said, "Speaker Lee Man-sup was one of the righteous Korean student volunteers determined to support the Hungarian Revolutionary War in 1956. As one of the student leaders, you tried to take part in the Hungarian Revolutionary War to fight the Soviet occupation army. Although your plan was frustrated due to various circumstances at the time, you contributed, in Korea, to publicizing and stirring up public opinion about the Hungarians' resistance to the Soviet dictatorship." At the time, Lee was deeply moved by the unexpected medal of honor from Hungary. In reply, Lee said, "I have already received several other medals of honor. But this medal surely is the most valuable." The Hungarian prime minister in 2002 was Viktor Orban. He was a leader of the army of students and citizens during the 1956 Hungarian Revolutionary War. Lee felt sorry for having received such a medal of honor himself alone. Through diplomatic channels, Lee sent piles of documents to Hungary, test-ifying that Rep. Yoo also was one of the student volunteers. The Hungarian government decided to award a medal of honor to Rep. Yoo in 2006, the 50th Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolutionary War. Hungarian Speaker of Parliament Katalin Szili brought the medal of honor on her way to Korea. In fact, Rep. Yoo has never been to Hungary, despite his election to the National Assembly and his affiliation with the National Assembly Foreign Affairs-Trade Committee. Rep. Yoo was delighted with the news about the unexpected medal of honor. He said, "In retrospect, it was a fairytale- like story. I am surprised to know that Hungary still feels grateful to young Korean students who volunteered to help Hungarian people during the Hungarian Revolutionary War in 1956. I am happy, but still sorry for other students who shared our great cause at that time." The seven former student volunteers, in addition to Lee Man-sup and Yoo Jaykun, are all still alive. They are Kim Kak, former editorial writer of The Korea Herald; Nam Hong-woo, former ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Hwang Kyu-jin, former deputy administrator of the Maritime and Port Authority; Kim Sun-ha, a Korean-American businessman; Sohn Young-tae, a Korean-American businessman; Cho Duk-haeng, former executive director of the Korea Rural Development Corporation; and Choi Nam-kyu, former MBC reporter. ¡Ú
