@article{ART003340709},
author={Yun-Jong Lee},
title={The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991},
journal={The Journal of Korean drama and theatre},
issn={1225-7729},
year={2026},
number={88},
pages={85-119},
doi={10.17938/tjkdat.2026..88.85}
TY - JOUR
AU - Yun-Jong Lee
TI - The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991
JO - The Journal of Korean drama and theatre
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 88
PB - The Learned Society Of Korean Drama And Theatre
SP - 85
EP - 119
SN - 1225-7729
AB - This paper analyzes the film Death Song (Kim Ho-sun, 1991) as a text that reinterprets the double suicide of artists Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok through the lens of colonial melancholy rather than mere romance. The film avoids depicting their death as a simple "love suicide" (jeongsa); instead, it portrays their trajectory toward death as a result of the frustration and despair of colonial subjects unable to realize their artistic ideals. Accordingly, this study examines the film's colonial melancholy by focusing on two key gaps: first, the conflict between high artistic aspirations and the grim reality of colonization; and second, the disconnect between external public records and internal private worlds. Especially for Yun, whose own records are scarce, her inner world is often subsumed into Kim’s through the lens of public consumption. By exploring these gaps, this paper evaluates the film's portrayal of these historical figures from a gender perspective, critically reeaxaminating how Yun’s character is portrayed as a purely voyeuristic object of male desire.
KW - Chang Mi-hee;colonial melancholy;Death Song;double suicide;gap between ideal and reality;Kim Woo-jin;Kim Ho-sun;Korean artists of Japanese colonial period;voyeurism;Yun Sim-deok;;Yim Sung-min
DO - 10.17938/tjkdat.2026..88.85
ER -
Yun-Jong Lee. (2026). The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991. The Journal of Korean drama and theatre, 88, 85-119.
Yun-Jong Lee. 2026, "The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991", The Journal of Korean drama and theatre, no.88, pp.85-119. Available from: doi:10.17938/tjkdat.2026..88.85
Yun-Jong Lee "The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991" The Journal of Korean drama and theatre 88 pp.85-119 (2026) : 85.
Yun-Jong Lee. The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991. 2026; 88 : 85-119. Available from: doi:10.17938/tjkdat.2026..88.85
Yun-Jong Lee. "The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991" The Journal of Korean drama and theatre no.88(2026) : 85-119.doi: 10.17938/tjkdat.2026..88.85
Yun-Jong Lee. The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991. The Journal of Korean drama and theatre, 88, 85-119. doi: 10.17938/tjkdat.2026..88.85
Yun-Jong Lee. The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991. The Journal of Korean drama and theatre. 2026; 88 85-119. doi: 10.17938/tjkdat.2026..88.85
Yun-Jong Lee. The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991. 2026; 88 : 85-119. Available from: doi:10.17938/tjkdat.2026..88.85
Yun-Jong Lee. "The Intersection of Colonial Melancholy and Voyeurism The Representation of Kim Woo-jin and Yun Sim-deok in the Film Death Song (1991" The Journal of Korean drama and theatre no.88(2026) : 85-119.doi: 10.17938/tjkdat.2026..88.85
