The Review of Korean Studies
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- P-ISSN1229-0076
- E-ISSN2773-9351
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ISSN : 1229-0076
The Memory and Interpretation of August 15, 1945 ―Koreans’ Perception of Japan as Reflected in Comic Books
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Abstract
In Korean comic books, there has been “remorse” for the fact that Korea had acquired its liberation dependently on August 15 in 1945. In other words, the remorse for the historical dependency in modern Korean history leaves trauma. This trauma tends to be resolved by three ways as follows. First, Korean residents in Japan are created as male heroes who are strongly opposed to Japan. Through this hero fighting against Japanese, Korean people satisfy their resentment against Japan in their inner hearts, not in reality. Second, the future relationship between Korea and Japan is described catastrophically. In this “fictional” future, Korea always inflicts revenge or punishment on Japan. Third, Korean national power overcomes that of Japanese through the growth of capitalism. Japan is represented as an opposite axis, which realizes the normative value of Korean nationalism. In this way, Japan becomes “the other.” These understandings of Japan in Korean comic books show how contemporary Korean society processes, remembers, and transmits the memories of the past on condition that the state monopolizes/controls interchanges between the two countries. Therefore, Japan in Korean comic books functions as a mirror through which the goal of contemporary Korean society is revealed. Viewed in this light, the point of view about Japan in these comic books has been shaped through the process of fitting historical experiences into the national development or social context and reprocessing them with Korean personal memories and experiences.
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- Comic boks, strong state/strong nation, Korean residents inJapan, overcoming Japan, memories of history.approach discusses the mentality and thought of the Korean comic book writersof the early colonial era. This viewpoint stems from the fact that t, Comic boks, strong state/strong nation, Korean residents inJapan, overcoming Japan, memories of history.approach discusses the mentality and thought of the Korean comic book writersof the early colonial era. This viewpoint stems from the fact that t
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