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Intellectuals Described in Literature by North Korean Defector Writers
Chunwon Research journal
Abbr :
Chunwon Research journal
2018, (13), pp.235-262
Publisher : Chunwon Research Society
Research Area : Korean Literature
2018, (13), pp.235-262
Publisher : Chunwon Research Society
Research Area : Korean Literature
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Korean defector writers. The study investigated the North Korean defector writers’ description on the appearance of intellectuals and its relationship with the reality in North Korea and examined the unique aspect of the perception of North Korean defectors who experienced both regimes. The existing studies regarding the works by North Korean defector writers mainly focus on the extreme agony and starvation that is represented by ‘Kotjebi,’ which is a North Korean term that denotes street children in North Korea. However, the issue of intellectuals expressed in the literature by North Korean defector writers is also important. “Intelli” is a term that is officially used in North Korean society and it refers to the social class engaged in intellectual labor with possession of certain knowledge or technology. In North Korean society, Intelli is recognized as valuable resource for social development. At the same time, however, North Korea has controlled them with educational policy under the name of “refinement” and “conversion” for the purpose of eradicating the possibility of them turning into rebel force against the current regime from the beginning. As such, Intelli is put in the unique situation in North Korean society. This paper examined the North Korean intellectuals’ perception on problem and reality by looking at the North Korean defectors writers’ novels written in the 2000s. With a particular focus on Chang Hae-seong’s novels that mainly describe the anguish by characters who are intellectuals, such as scholars, professors, and journalists, the paper investigated works by the major North Korean defector writers, which included Kim Yoo-kyeong and Do Myeong-hak. By examining the social perception and critical consciousness in North Korea through the North Korean defector writers’ direct description on the intellectuals, the study examined the implication that the works by the North Korean defector writers can have in Korean society.
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