The North Korean Literary Study Tendencies on the Period Before Liberation of Korea Under the Regime of Kim, Jong-Il and Kim, Jong-Eun: Centered on the Joseon Sahoegwahak Haksuljib

This article focuses on the North Korean literary study tendencies on the period before Liberation of Korea. After the Kim, Jong-Il regime, the literary study tendency gradually became objective and liberated from the Juche ideology under the Kim, Il-Sung regime. The academic complete collection Joseon Sahoegwahak Haksuljib (2009-), which was projected to celebrate 100 years since the birth of Kim, Il-Sung and new era of North Korea, shows the current situation of literary study tendencies of North Korea. In terms of the literary studies on the period before liberation of Korea, Joseon Sahoegwahak Haksuljib exhibits these three features. First, they emphasize the roles of the North Korean people at the creation of anti-Japanese revolutionary Literature: this because the Kim, Jong-Il and Kim, Jong-Eun regimes have required the support of the North Korean people with respect to the hereditary succession of three generations from Kim Il-Sung since its foundation. Second, the theory of Juche Literature by Kim, Jong-Il became to ascend the canon when it comes to conduct research into Literature: one of the representative phenomenon is the emphasis of the genealogy of Realism Literature including Juche Realism Literature. Finally, and most importantly, North Korea approves the modernity of Bourgeois Literature: in this context, the literature of Yi, Kwang-Su is recognized its value as a model novel of 1910s, especially his novel Mujeong (Heartlessness) and Gaecheokja(Pioneer)