Winter of Yesteryear

[Anchor Lead]

Videos and photos of winter scenes taken five to six decades ago have been made public on the National Archives website. In our next story, we travel back in time for a look at the winter of yesteryear. Let’s check it out.

[Pkg]

In the winter of 1956, people skate on a frozen Hangang River. The early arrival of the cold could not prevent the people from having winter fun outside.

[Soundbite] Daehan News(1956) : "Despite the cold, skating is the most entertaining winter sport for physical training."

Soldiers work hard to remove snow with the heavy snowfall reaching a 50-year record. But children are happy with the thick pile of snow, which is perfect for sledding.

[Soundbite] Daehan News(1969) : "Heavy equipment such as bulldozers and dumpers were mobilized to remove snow in front of the central administrative building, Seoul Station and City Hall."

Despite the freezing weather, a group of women weave baskets together with their neighbors. At a beach, fishermen mend nets together before going to work.

[Soundbite] Kim Jeong-ja(Seoul Resident) : "It was freezing. When I held the door knob after washing my face, my hand was stuck to it. I could not take my hand off it. A bowl of water inside the room was frozen overnight."

The winter was packed with a lot of fun, such as spinning tops, flying kites, and eating baked sweet potatoes and chestnuts. A letter delivered by a postman through the snow was a welcome, heart-warming gift.

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-hoon(Content Planning Manager, National Archives) : "With a lack of heating and winter facilities, they had to endure a harsh winter. I hope that people will be offered opportunities to remember the scenes of winter when people created new memories by helping each other."

The physical cold and difficulties could be forgotten with the warm-heartedness of people. These old winter scenes are being brought back through memories.