KJC Korea
Journal Central

This paper reviews and critiques Kwangsoo Lee's Moojeong, his leading articles, and his works produced at the late period of Japanese forced occupation through 'contextualization'. Through ‘contextualization’, Moojeong is considered as a new type of novel developed by inheriting or overturning the style of ancient novel, and borrowing the characteristics of modern novel. In this process, Kwangsoo Lee rewrote Young-Chae Jeon that he originally planned, and made the story into Moojeong. The process of rewriting Young-Chae Jeon into Moojeong brought certain changes in it's content and theme. As Young-Chae (from Young-Chae Jeon) represents a past figure in the moral world filled with "goodness" and "righteousness", Hyung-Sik represents a modern figure pursuing personal desires in the emotional world. A narrative strategy often found in nationalistic discourses is putting the emphasis on 'us' and considering 'we' are superior than 'others'. Kwangsoo Lee's article On National Reconstruction should be reviewed in a different perspective because the previous view which sees this article as a nationalistic essay might not be the right interpretation. While he highlighted the need of education and strength to overcome the desperate reality under Japanese rule, he did not show any interest in investing on talents of the people or encouraging them. His argument and attitude found in the On National Reconstruction emphasized the inferiority of Korean people, and his work was appropriated to an important narrative that supports the Japanese ruled policies and Japanese imperialism. Since the late 1930s, Kwangsoo Lee distanced himself from nationalism and the theory of evolution and started to devote himself to the theory of interdependent arising from Buddhism. By accepting Saṃsāra (the cyclicality of existence in which one can change his status in his next life based on their present mind and action), even if he acknowledged his shameful present situation under Japanese rule, he was not shameful to reveal his desire to be reincarnated in the ruling class of the powerful nation for his next life. He never abandoned his faith in the theory of evolution and his desire to become a citizen in a powerful nation. Therefore, Lee's incomprehensible attitude shown at the end of the period of Japanese forced occupation can be explained in this context.

This article noted the fact that it was a hundred years since the " Mujeong" was serialized. I tried to review the history of interpretation to this novel and present of the new interpretation direction. MuJeong has been studied in relation to the artist Kwangsoo Lee, relationship with evolution theory, and relationship with community ideals. Recently, this novel has also been examined in the context of the discourse of migration. Amorphous studies should now seek a deeper understanding of the meaning of amorphous as well as precise interpretation of text. In particular, a new interpretation of the meanings of the unjust should be attempted.

Looking at the 100th anniversary of the birth of 『Mujong』, the survey of Korean literature researchers in Japan by what perspectives and methodologies they have studied and evaluated 『Mujong』 is also a meaningful study for the possibility of new index. This paper focuses on the pioneering researches of the three researchers: Saegusa ToshiKatsu, Setsuko Hatano, and Naomi Ono, and also examined the comparative studies of Japanese literature and the diverse research results in the field of adjoining disciplines. Saegusa organized Kwangsoo Lee's repeated motifs, and presented the tangible elements and set the 『Mujong』 as a prototype of the whole novel that can understand the entire work of Kwangsoo Lee. Hatano, through her extensive research over a long period of time, presented a new research methodology and the meaning of history of literature of 『Mujong』 by identifying the influence of various literary trends and thoughts of Japan since the Meiji in the formation of Kwangsoo Lee's early thought. Ono can be evaluated to have made a closer approach to the understanding of 『Mujong』 by analyzing Kwangsoo Lee at the time of writing and his career until writing 『Mujong』 and revealing the relationship between 『Mujong』 and all elements of Kwangsoo Lee. Based on the in-depth advanced research of Kwangsoo Lee's research, it is the worthy result of a comparison study between the Japanese literature centered on Soseki Natsume and research in the neighboring discipline. Through the result of many-sided researches by these diverse perspectives and methodology, Kwangsoo Lee's research has become more concrete and broader, and it can be said that Korean modern literature is no longer only for Korea, but for the literary history worthy of illuminating modernity in East Asia.

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From March 1944 to September 1948, Chunwon Kwangsoo Lee spent his later years farming in Gyunggi-do Yangjoo-goon Jingun-myun (currently known as Namyangju-shi Jingun-eup) Sareung-li. This paper examines the life and literature of Yi, who lived like a wayfarer. The period of interest in this paper includes three phases with major changes: the last stage of Japanese occupation when the defeat of Japanese had become certain, three years after the independence (August 15, 1945~August 15, 1948), and establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea. Soon after this period, the Korean War broke out, and Chunwon was abducted to North Korea. Thus, this period in 1940s is an important time in his life. Chunwon bought a piece of land and cows to take up farming with Park Jeong-ho, a young man who was fond of Chunwon, so that he could keep away from the worldly cares. Here he celebrated the liberation of the nation with three children. However, he was in agony as well as in joy, because of the remorse for cooperating with the Japanese government for the past few years. He decided to live a quiet life and focus on reading and observe the world, free from all ideas. During this period, he used a rock he picked up from a stream as a pillow. On the stone pillow, he would think about Jacob from the Old Testament and hear a sigh from a tired cow. He considered the fate of cows as his, which symbolizes the remorse for his past activities. In September 1946, he was invited to join Kwang Dong Middle school, established in Bongsun-sa Temple, as a Korean and English teacher. The principal of the school, Un-Heur, who is also a Buddhist monk and Chunwon’s third cousin, organized the appointment for Chunwon. Working as a teacher in the school would not only mean getting a job but also joining the Buddhist monastery and practicing asceticism, while shunning the world. He came back to Sareung in 1947 and wrote a biography of Dosan An Changho, an independence fighter he respected. In 1948, he wrote an essay, the stone Pillow. In addition, he authored a short story, Dream, based on a story of Jo Shin in the History of Three Korean Kingdoms. Dream was received well by the readers. Chunwon moved back to his house in Seoul in September 1948, due to ill health. In Sareung, Chunwon realized his dream of living a quiet and peaceful rural life, which he was not able to do in his hometown. There, he slept on a rock pillow, agonizing over his past, and listened to a cow’s sigh. It was the time for self-reflection and rumination. His life in Seoul afterwards faded out, like a “dead bird” buried in the woods in Gwang Reung. His ill health, arrest by the Special Investigation Committee for Anti-National Activities, and the war took everything away from him.

The paper is clearly try to interpret about the rumor about Na-haysok and Kwangsoo Lee’s relation, through anylysis of a complicated human relation of Kwangsoo Lee and the works of Kwangsoo Lee. This paper treat whether Kwangsoo Lee really broke up with Na Hae-sok by Na Kyung-sok’s opposition because of Lee were married. He was enough to make any excuses in the rumor and in Hue Young-suk’s letter about his various women’s relation, because of that Na Hae-sok didn’t want going out with Lee. In Na Ha side more than ciumsy excuse they formly answered that Lee married, so Na hae-sok couldn’t go out with Lee. But Lee couldn’t accept that in those time most of Korean foreign studunt in japan were married. Lee didn’t believe that truth. So he wrote three works in a magazine about relation of Na Haesok and Lee. In works he introduce about relationship of Na Hae-sok and Na Hae-sok’s dead love in the past. Reading that he prasided enough to the relationship the two might envy. Two’s exceptional beauty and Characteristics of potetic tatent in brillant genius, that is just a great love of gualified than usual his argument. Lee would been wanted to make a great love with Na Hae-sok a great model as two couple.

Kwangsoo Lee’s The Soil has been read in connect with the idea of Dosan Ahn Chang-ho or enlightenment movement for rural communities. This novel which shows the process that Heo Sung who worked as a lawyer in Seoul go back to his hometown Salyeoul considered a reduction of Chosun, then he tried hard to change his poor community to a ideal place. In the process, The Soil presents an ideal leader. In “Genius! Genius!( 천재 야! 천재야! )”, Lee emphasized the importance of genius, and he also said Chosun needed a man called ‘hyung-an-ja(炯眼者)’who has bright eyes to recognize a genius. Professor Han Min-gyo in this novel is the man who has bright eyes. Heo Sung devoted himself following his teacher Han Min-gyo to the renovation project of Salyeoul. Han Min-gyo and Heo Sung are the militant being who deny the existing common sense and social system. Specially, Heo Sung constantly shows his chastity of thoughts and he tries to live as a good role model. He resembles ‘the apostle Paul’ in the Bible. Heo Sung wants people of Salyeoul follow his will as he’s following his master Han, and he tries to protect the community against the evils such as corruption, depravity, and sloth even if he gives up his all rights and honor. He also makes the disciples. For such reasons, Heo Sung is a leader resembles St. Paul who did militantly for spreading the gospel.

Park Kyung-ri’s Land is sometimes referred to as “a study of Japan in the form of a novel” because of how its writer’s thoughts on Japan are revealed through its characters and sometimes in the voice of the writer herself. As the setting of part one begins around the time of the Donghak Peasant Rebellion and continues through the late Joseon period, the First Sino-Japanese War, and the Russo-Japanese War, and then through the annexation of Korea and March First Independence Movement, it cannot but reflect the circumstances of Joseon and the surrounding countries, and there are many portions that would have been difficult to write without a deep understanding and personal perspective of international politics under the turbulent circumstances of the Manchurian Incident, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the world wars. Aside from Japan’s politics, the novel’s elucidations of its culture, art, character, and background are impressive in their depth and comprehensiveness. Especially as the novel approaches its conclusion it depicts more clearly than any other work the condition and national character of Korea, China, and Japan, as revealed in the daily increasing severity of this land’s deterioration under Japanese colonial rule, its comparisons of China and Japan, and of those nations with Korea. Above all, after confirming in a number of places the objectivity of the writer’s opinion and perspective and being impressed by its extensive research and again realizing that it is a treasure chest for literary research, I emphasize the need for diverse research that surpasses the limited perspective of the fields of literature, history, and so on. As the field of research on Land expands with contributions of researchers in related fields of the history of living such as sociology, Japanese studies, Chinese studies, Russian studies, International Politics, the history of independence movements, architecture, religion, and landscaping naturally expand into “Land studies.” Especially as the description intensifies toward the end of the colonial period, it is possible that Land’s discussion of Japan is the biased perspective of a particular period and society, but in a more fundamental way, and as the relationship between the two nations remains uncomfortable even in the present as a result of a number of controversial incidents, it is important to consider the “pragmatism of Japan” and “soft discernment of China” which the author wanted to adopt as a means for the Korean people to survive. It occurs to me that in today’s world, which lives as together as closely intertwined as neighbors, this is a virtue which we must not merely reference but learn with seriousness. In addition, in composing this essay I also gained a significant number of answers to questions I had often experienced about the qualities of Japan.

The Enlightenment spirit of the human rational sense to South Korea in the human mind as a liberation from the pre-modern social action that a self-portrait city can look at. Park Jong Hua?, 1923, and swans driver started for the first time from a self-portrait but frustration after the culture of Japanese occupation of the campaign rule 1, 3, 1919, who is in special situations.Appeared. This is the flowering season, is the parent of the modern political defeat of imperialism and trying to overcome the existing system in the inner search of self, spirit of the day with a ritual.Expression. Eagle is a self-portrait reflective pre-modern as a reasonable market price of attuned to the power of traditional customs and traditions and deny the moving away from its sense of self in discerning the gyemongseongwill Liberated from the pre-modern with the enlightened minds are rational sense of social action as a human mind. Premature to grow to maturity in a departure, as well as a self-portrait in modern history to from dependency of the modern traditions and customs of you.Willingness to achieve ‘of autonomy’ and free. Self Portrait called self-explore as the process to overcome the modernity can you three elements of human freedom, final announcement is a self-portrait in relation to the text of the city.Modernity's identity, real performance by an analysis of how self, how romantic this manuscript of the autonomy to soap box. Text the poets ' sense of enlightenment is a self-portrait common active into three categories in the city through discussion that the poet's enlightenment to the view of the world.Important to needs to be dealt with. Therefore, the study in accordance with the way a self-portrait appeared in ego in order to explore aspects of the gyemongseong of poets that are seen sharply in the three categories of the final announcement.Text to the city. In establishment of fraud and identity of the of the pre-modern ojanghwan (1951~1918), (1910 and 1937.), the second reality (1915~2000), second recognition in anxiety and self-actualization.Gwonhwan (1903 to 1903), the third (1903~1982), the third, and a (1911 and 1949) real sense of poverty and romantic yearning is Park Jong Hua? gimhyeonseung, (1901~1981), (1913~1975), Pak Tu-jin (1916 to 1998).We can look back.

Recently, research on the post-liberation literature of Yeom Sang-sup is going on quite actively. However, research on works after 1950s is still insufficient. This article analyzes the acceptance of Americanization in the literature of Yeom Sang-sup as part of finding the continuity of Yeom Sang-sup’s literature of colonial period and post-liberation. It is not hard to find a poetic scene in his novel because he was a writer and a reporter. The America or American, seen in the works published in the colonial period or in the post-liberation works, can be guessed that the close relationship between Korea and the United States has been going on for quite some time. After liberation, acceptance of Americanization emerged in the literature of Yeom Sang-sup criticizes the profiteer who take personal advantage as they are shaped negatively. In addition, the acceptance of Americanization appears to have been rejected by Americans and Americans. This rejection has been around for quite some time. It can be seen that the acceptance of Americanization is accompanied by a moral appraisal, which is a unique creation method by Yeom Sang-sup who looks inside the contemporary society that expressed the 'American Dream'.