2026, Vol., No.161

Contested Memories of the 1980 Sabuk Uprising: Significance and Challenges

Kim, A Ram | 2026, (161) | pp.7~40 | number of Cited : 0

By examining the development of the “struggle for memory” and the issue of reconciliation surrounding the 1980 Sabuk Uprising, this study demonstrates that the memory and historicization of state violence cannot be concluded through simple reconciliation or closure. Under the media censorship and political denial of the military regime, the Sabuk Uprising was long stigmatized as a “riot,” and the reality of state violence remained concealed. However, since the 2000s, through the testimonies and activism of miner victims, the truths of state violence—including torture and illegal detention—have gradually surfaced, confirming the state’s responsibility. In this process, new conflicts have emerged regarding the historicization and memory of the event; in particular, the “lynching incident” that occurred during the uprising and the subsequent discourse on “reconciliation” have become central points of contention. Recently, the film 1980 Sabuk has raised public awareness and brought the uprising into the political spotlight, yet it fails to fully encapsulate the complexities of memory and reconciliation. The retrials and restoration of honor for the victims are still ongoing, and an official state apology has yet to be issued. Meanwhile, efforts to remember the uprising continue at the local level through films, educational activities, and commemorative projects. The writing of the history of the Sabuk Uprising cannot be completed simply through legal acquittals or formal acts of reconciliation. Acknowledging the limitations of reaching an absolute truth, the very process of continuously recording and remembering the human lives and suffering within is the true essence of history. By re-examining the Sabuk Uprising from various perspectives, this study calls for the state’s accountability for its past violence and seeks to provide a reflective opportunity for our society to establish a productive relationship with its tragic past.

Whose Death is Forgotten? - Structural Oblivion Through the Lens of the Sewol Ferry Disaster -

Ilyeong Jeong | 2026, (161) | pp.41~82 | number of Cited : 0

This study investigates the process of “structural oblivio” in South Korean society, focusing on the Sewol Ferry disaster. It argues that the forgetting of social catastrophes is not a natural erosion caused by the passage of time, but rather a deliberate outcome driven by specific rhetorical strategies and spatial arrangements. The author analyzes how the state and media frame disasters as mere “accidents” to absolve the government of responsibility and transform the mourning of victims into a private financial matter through the rhetoric of “compensation,” thereby othering the victims as “impure.” This mechanism of structural oblivion has repeatedly surfaced from maritime disasters following the liberation to the recent Itaewon tragedy, systematically neutralizing social memory through deliberately induced “empathy fatigue” and the hierarchical competition between different disasters. Furthermore, this paper examines how such structural oblivion is closely intertwined with the decontextualized placement of the “space for the dead” in South Korean society. The taboo of death, reinforced by hygiene and economic logic since the Japanese colonial period, has concealed and isolated spaces of mourning from the realm of daily life. Consequently, memorial facilities for disasters such as the Seongsu Bridge collapse or the Sampoong Department Store collapse have been relegated to desolate areas or downgraded to “safety monuments” stripped of their original context. In conclusion, this study emphasizes that the oblivion of social disasters is a structural phenomenon resulting from the combination of prepared rhetoric and spatial politics that erase the “placeness” of death. Recognizing this structure is the essential first step toward practicing “active memory” for the well-being of the community.

Tax Arrears and State Finance in the Goryeo Dynasty: The Operation and Fiscal Meaning of Poheum(逋欠)

Oh, Chi-Hoon | 2026, (161) | pp.85~116 | number of Cited : 0

The Death of Unmarried Korean Immigrants in Hawaii and Community Responses: The Hosangboo of the Dongji Hoi

YEON Hyo-jin | 2026, (161) | pp.117~160 | number of Cited : 0

The Establishment and Operation of the National Planning System during the May 16th Military Government Period

Jinah Chung | 2026, (161) | pp.161~202 | number of Cited : 0

The Korean-style planning system and its institutional framework emerged through a convergence of the Economic Planning Board(EPB) and the National Planning System introduced by the military. This formation was characterized by a period of intense institutional competition and bureaucratic friction between the involved organizations and their respective factions. Following the May 16 military coup, the military regime determined that a comprehensive overhaul of the executive branch was necessary to eliminate the incompetence and corruption of the previous government and to expedite the rapid implementation of policies, including economic development initiatives. Having established the foundation for a national planning system through organizational restructuring and civil service retraining, the military government sought to rapidly disseminate this planning system through procedures involving the formulation, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of basic operational plans by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Planning and Control Office. However, during the operational phase, military-origin bureaucrats and traditional administrative officials clashed over institutional irrationalities and coercive operational methods. To resolve this conflict, the Cabinet Planning and Control Office attempted to absorb the Economic Planning Board and establish a unified “Planning Board.” Ultimately, the Government Organization Act, enacted concurrently with the launch of the Third Republic on December 17, explicitly stipulated the separate establishment of the Office for Planning and Coordination and the Economic Planning Board as planning agencies. The National Planning System established and operated during the May 16 military government period catalyzed the expansion of planning organizations throughout society. Although staff functions and organizations originated in the military, the Office for Planning and Coordination subsequently proliferated extensively not only within government organizations but also into private enterprises and schools. This is why we must reexamine the national planning system today.

Nationalism and the “Early Modern Joseon” Thesis in Korean Academia in the 1970s: A Reinterpretation of Neo-Confucianism

Jeongwan Hong | 2026, (161) | pp.203~248 | number of Cited : 0

A Legacy of Plants and Records: The Min Byung-gal Collection at Chollipo Arboretum

Yi Hye-young | 2026, (161) | pp.251~282 | number of Cited : 0

This paper was written to introduce the materials left by Min Byung‑gal(English name: Carl F. Miller, 1921-2002), the founder of Chollipo Arboretum, and to examine their academic value. Min Byung‑gal was born in 1921 in Pittston, Pennsylvania, United States. On September 8, 1945, he first set foot in Korea as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. Afterward, he worked for the U.S. Military Government and later for aid organizations such as the Economic Cooperation Administration(ECA). In 1954, he joined the Bank of Korea, after which he permanently settled in Korea. While working at the Bank of Korea and several securities companies, in 1970 Min Byung‑gal established Chollipo Arboretum on the Taean Peninsula, the first private arboretum in Korea. He introduced a wide variety of plants not only native to Korea but also from many parts of the world. Today, approximately 16,000 species of plants—including hollies, magnolias, and camellias—are cultivated at Chollipo Arboretum. Through international seed-exchange programs, he also maintained active exchanges with plant-related institutions and organizations around the world, and he participated actively in various international academic societies. Over the course of his lifetime, Min Byung‑gal left behind a vast collection of materials. These can be broadly categorized into four groups. The first consists of correspondence and personal records, including letters exchanged with family members and acquaintances as well as various personal documents. The second includes materials related to the establishment and operation of the arboretum, such as work journals and financial records. The third category comprises plant and academic society materials, including records of plant and seed exchanges, planting and sowing records from the arboretum, plant cards, and documents related to academic societies. The fourth consists of photographic and audiovisual materials, including photographs taken by Min Byung‑gal, slide films, and magnetic tapes. These materials can serve as valuable primary sources for research on modern Korean history and the history of plant resources in Korea. Furthermore, they hold significant potential for studies in climate and environmental history, as well as in the social and cultural history of Korea.

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The Review of Korean History 2024 KCI Impact Factor : 0.96

2026, Vol., No.161