In 1953, the Korean War entered a critical moment. A young North Korean female translator, Lee Young-ae, is sent to negotiate an armistice with the U.S. military. Because of her weak appearance, she walked into the conference room of Panmunjom on that tense July day. It was an important armistice negotiation involving senior U.S. military officers who had confronted North Korean forces on the battlefield.
Lee Young-ae, 25 years old, an outstanding graduate of the Korean Language Institute, has a petite appearance and elegant manners. She was deliberately selected to participate in the negotiations, both to ease the tension between the two sides and to fully affirm her ability. The moment she walked into the conference room, Lee Young-ae felt the tension in the air. Those U.S. military officers who had been through the battlefield had pride and prejudice in their eyes. At the beginning of the talks, U.S. military representatives expressed contempt for North Korea for sending women to the talks. A middle-aged officer sneered: "All the men in North Korea who are suitable for negotiations are dead, and only one woman is left?"The U.S. officers burst into laughter, but Lee Young-ae did not show the slightest displeasure on her face.
Excuse me, how long have you been fighting on the Korean battlefield?Lee Young-ae calmly asked the middle-aged officer. The officer held his head high and said proudly, "It's been 13 months!."His voice was full of arrogance. Li Yingai looked at him lightly and said, "You have lived so long." Her words were like a hammer hitting the pride of an American officer. There was a sudden silence in the conference room, and all the American soldiers lost their smiles on their faces.
After this episode, there was a subtle change in the attitude of the US military towards the representatives of the DPRK. They began to look at Lee Young-ae squarely and no longer saw her as a façade in negotiations. After many days of talks, the United States and the DPRK finally reached an agreement on an armistice. This Korean War, with the participation of this ordinary and great woman, ushered in a turning point. The armistice agreement brought calm to the Korean peninsula and prevented it from falling back into war.
The Korean War ended with the heavy damage inflicted on the US military by the Chinese People's Volunteers, which made US imperialism recognize China's strength and abandon its strategic dream of seizing hegemony in Asia. This war allowed China to stand up and become an important force to be reckoned with in the socialist camp. And the inspiration came from a North Korean female translator, Lee Young-ae's sharp words. With wisdom and courage, she proved that women can also shape the course of history.