{
  "id": 9246403,
  "title": "Love in Korean War: Wartime bride's son traces mother's journey from Wonju to America",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/love-in-korean-war-wartime-brides-son-traces-mothers-journey-from",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T02:27:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/people-events/20260923/love-in-korean-war-wartime-brides-son-traces-mothers-journey-from-wonju-to-america"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the early 1950s, amidst the chaos of the Korean War, an American soldier named Ralph Smith and a young Korean woman named Park Yoo-sun met and fell in love. Their photos, taken during this tumultuous time, have since captured the hearts of people from both nations. The marriage, while filled with love, came with a price. Women who married American servicemen during that era were labeled \"yanggongju,\" meaning Western princess - a derogatory term used against women associated with U.S. troops.\n\nDecades after the war ended, Park Yoo-sun and Ralph Smith made their way to the United States in the 1960s. Their son, Charley Smith, who is now 74, has now published a book titled \"Yoo-sun and Ralph.\" This book traces the intertwined history of his parents, a family story woven through the complex tapestry of war and immigration.",
  "summary": "In a heartwarming story of love and resilience, a Korean War-era bride's son has traced his mother's journey from Wonju to America. Park Yoo-sun and Ralph Smith, a Korean-American couple, captured a series of black-and-white photographs during the early 1950s, amidst the height of the Korean War. The American husband, Ralph Smith, is seen shaving while his Korean wife, Yoo-sun, helps him hold up a mirror. These images, shared on Reddit last summer, quickly garnered attention from users in both countries. The marriage, though a testament to love, came with a price. Women who married American servicemen during that era were labeled \"yanggongju,\" a derogatory term meaning \"Western princess.\" Despite this, Yoo-sun and Ralph eventually settled in the United States in the 1960s, where their son, Charley Smith, now 74, published a book titled \"Yoo-sun and Ralph\" through the Korean publisher Positive Thinking. The memoir traces the family's history, intricately woven with the turbulent course of the Korean War and the subsequent journey to America.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}