Searching for 'KIM': A quest to find father's friend from the war
The son of a late U.S. war correspondent is asking South Koreans to help find a unit assistant who bonded with his father during the 1950-53 Korean War.
A photo of Kim, left, and Robert H. MosierMINISTRY OF PATRIOTS AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
The son of an American war correspondent who covered the 1950-53 Korean War is searching for the Korean man who befriended his late father during the war, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Wednesday.
Robert P. Mosier, the son of wartime correspondent Robert H. Mosier, recently contacted the South Korean ministry in search of a certain Kim, which was stylized as “KIM” by the son. Kim was reportedly a unit assistant who stayed with his father during the war.
“My father always missed Kim throughout his life,” Robert P. Mosier said. “I sincerely hope to meet him again on my father’s behalf.”
Kim, a Korean boy who accompanied Robert H. Mosier, a U.S. war
correspondentMINISTRY OF PATRIOTS AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
Robert H. Mosier served as a U.S. Marine Corps war correspondent during the Korean War, between approximately 1951 and 1952.
In 1953, he published photographs and writings documenting the devastation of the war in National Geographic under the title “The GI and the Kids of Korea: America’s Fighting Men Share Their Food, Clothing, and Shelter with Children of a War-torn Land.”
Kim met Mosier at a refugee camp near Changdo-myeon, Kimhwa County, Gangwon, an area that is now in North Korea. He was about 15 years old in 1951 and is believed to have been born between 1935 and 1937.
Kim grew up in a Christian family from Hongcheon, Gangwon. His father had already died by then, and the family had reportedly relocated from Hongcheon to a nearby area after their home was destroyed by bombing, according to the ministry.
Kim accompanied Robert H. Mosier on his reporting trips. Around Christmas, Mosier visited the boy's home and met his mother, grandfather and sister. They were later separated around July 1952 when Mosier’s division withdrew from the area.
The late Robert H. Mosier, a U.S. war
correspondent who served during the 1950-53 Korean WarMINISTRY OF PATRIOTS AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
Robert P. Mosier noted that his family has been trying to locate Kim since the early 1990s.
“This time, with the interest and assistance of relevant organizations and the Korean public, I hope we can finally find the precious person who shared those wartime years with my father,” he said.
The Veterans Ministry is accepting tips about Kim through its website and YouTube channel.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
