KJCKorea
Journal Central

This article is a study that interprets <Sookhyangjeon> as a narrative that emphasizes hospitality and ethical responsibility towards others. Sookhyang is not a protagonist who overcomes adversity independently. Instead, she embodies the suffering face of the Other, compelling those around her to respond ethically. Consequently, the core events of <Sookhyangjeon> unfold based on the ethical responses of the surrounding characters, categorized as conditional or unconditional hospitality. Kim Jeon, Jang Seung-sang, and their wives exhibit conditional hospitality. Their conditional hospitality fails to prevent Sookhyang’s fated hardships. Following her suffering, their narratives of atonement overlap with Sookhyang’s trials, reflecting the limitations of conditional hospitality and prompting ethical reflection. In contrast, Lee Sun represents unconditional hospitality. Recognizing Sookhyang as his fated heavenly partner, he perceives his duty to care for her as an a priori command and embarks on a journey to trace her hardships. Through this journey, Lee Sun comes to deeply understand Sookhyang’s suffering and fulfills his unconditional hospitality through a love that transcends social status and circumstance. As a result, Sookhyang reclaims agency in her life and transforms into an ethical subject, capable of confronting and taking responsibility for both her own suffering and that of others.

Sookhyangjeon, Other, the Face of the Other, Responsibility, Hospitality, Ethical Narrative, Romantic Love