Crane, 38th Parallel and Reconciliation While reading this story by Hwang Sunwon, it really opened my eyes to the reality of the conflict between North and South Korea Since I live in the United States, much of my initial view on the separation of the Koreas was quite oriented towards seeing how the United States did it. Many of the opinions I was surrounded by growing up favored the United States as the “hero” of the Korean War. But from the perspective presented in this short story, the United States was not the hero but rather the instigator of the conflict along with the Soviet Union. As time passes and Korea's separation continues to be unresolved, a question that is often asked is whether or not there is hope for future reconciliation between these two sides of the 38th parallel. In Hwang Sunwon's short story Cranes, he illustrates the situation between two childhood friends who are on opposite sides of the Korean War and meet in a clash. His story carries the underlying message that reconciliation will only occur under circumstances in which the two Koreas come to reject the external forces that played a role in their conflict, understand each other and come to the conclusion that they are the same race, the same people. .Metaphorically this reconciliation between the two characters Songsam and Tokchae also implies a future reconciliation between the two Koreas. The story illustrates the past between the two friends and how their current conflict was due to forces beyond their control. Before the Korean War, Korea was breaking free from Japan and rebuilding its government and this was where the initial conflict arose. Since one group was in favor of more communist ways of government and the other preferred a ... middle of paper ... two characters were created who came to forget their current conflict and situation of enmity and returned to their initial feelings of brotherhood that they shared. Hwang Sunwon subtly introduces the idea that they must come to understand and return to the past shared by the two Koreas. Another factor that will lead the Koreas to reconciliation is that they have such a deeply rooted history that they cannot remain separated forever. The Korean people on both sides of the 38th parallel speak the same language, belong to the same ethnicity, and have split from one people. Hwang Sunwon compares the cranes to the Korean people in that, through understanding the other side and rejecting outside influence, they will become free and united as one nation, just as the cranes were liberated in the end by taking flight together in reunion.