@article{ART003345842},
author={Nam Bora},
title={An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War},
journal={Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University},
issn={1598-3021},
year={2026},
volume={83},
number={2},
pages={295-330}
TY - JOUR
AU - Nam Bora
TI - An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War
JO - Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University
PY - 2026
VL - 83
IS - 2
PB - Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
SP - 295
EP - 330
SN - 1598-3021
AB - This thesis aims to analyze the actual conditions of cultural heritage protection and management from the immediate post-liberation period, when the North Korean regime was first established, to the period preceding the Korean War, and to examine the gap between these historical realities and the Kim Il Sung ‘Leadership’ narrative constructed in later years. Since the enactment of The Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage in 2012, North Korea has strengthened policies for the protection and management of ‘national heritage,’ including intangible cultural heritage, while explaining their origins by linking them to Kim Il Sung’s ‘Leadership’ in the immediate aftermath of liberation. Through a comparative analysis of materials produced prior to the Korean War and those published in later periods, this study elucidates how North Korea reconstructed its cultural heritage protection narrative.
Contemporary documents indicate that, during the early stage of North Korea’s regime formation, heritage protection activities were concentrated on legal and administrative measures centered on tangible cultural heritage, such as the enactment of regulations and the establishment of management organizations, while references to Kim Il Sung’s public guidance in this area remained limited. From the 1980s onward, however, North Korea retroactively revised museum founding dates to align with Kim Il Sung’s on-site guidance or excavated preservation anecdotes related to ‘Cheongam-dong Toseong,’ thereby constructing an image of Kim Il Sung as a ‘guardian of cultural heritage.’ In addition, the subsequent disclosure or revision of Kim Il Sung’s ‘works’ can be interpreted as an effort to endow policies for the protection and management of ‘national heritage’ with historical depth and authority.
Accordingly, the ‘Leadership’ narrative of Kim Il Sung’s cultural heritage protection should be understood not only as an exercise in embellishing the past but also as the construction of a historical foundation intended to promote the legitimacy and orthodoxy of The Law on the Protection of National Heritage and ‘national heritage’ in the era of Kim Jong Un.
KW - Kim Il Sung ‘Leadership’ Narrative;North Korean Cultural Heritage Policy;National Heritage;The Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage;The Law on the Protection of National Heritage;Source Criticism
DO -
UR -
ER -
Nam Bora. (2026). An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War. Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University, 83(2), 295-330.
Nam Bora. 2026, "An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War", Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University, vol.83, no.2 pp.295-330.
Nam Bora "An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War" Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University 83.2 pp.295-330 (2026) : 295.
Nam Bora. An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War. 2026; 83(2), 295-330.
Nam Bora. "An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War" Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University 83, no.2 (2026) : 295-330.
Nam Bora. An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War. Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University, 83(2), 295-330.
Nam Bora. An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War. Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University. 2026; 83(2) 295-330.
Nam Bora. An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War. 2026; 83(2), 295-330.
Nam Bora. "An Examination of the Construction of Kim Il Sung’s Cultural Heritage Protection ‘Leadership’ Narrative before the Korean War" Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University 83, no.2 (2026) : 295-330.
