Rewriting Revolution: Women, Sexuality, and Memory in North Korean Fiction

233 Pages·2018·4.493 MB·English

by  Immanuel Kim

REWRITING REVOLUTION

REWRITING
REVOLUTION
Women, Sexuality, and
Memory in North Korean Fiction
Immanuel Kim
University of Hawai‘i Press
Honolulu
© 2018 University of Hawai‘i Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
23 22 21 20 19 18 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kim, Immanuel, author.
Title: Rewriting revolution : women, sexuality, and memory in North Korean
fiction / Immanuel Kim.
Description: Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, [2018] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017022265 | ISBN 9780824872632 (cloth alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Korean fiction—Korea (North)—20th century—History and
criticism. | Women in literature. | Families in literature.
Classification: LCC PL957.5.W65 K55 2018 | DDC 895.7/099287—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017022265
University of Hawai‘i Press books are printed on
acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence
and durability of the Council on Library Resources.
Cover: Two lovers walking along the streets in Pyongyang, 2011 (Photo courtesy
of Korea Economic Institute of America; art by Hans Gindlesberger and Soyeon Jung.)
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: Changing North Korean Literature 1
Chapter One
Desexualizing Motherhood: The Lost Referential of Women 16
Chapter Two
Kiss and Tell: Words That Come Undone 44
Chapter Three
The Woman Question(s): Desiring a Happy Marriage 81
Chapter Four
Women, Divorce, and the State 114
Chapter Five
Motherhood Revisited: Disrupting National History 147
Conclusion: Literature and Ideological Change 181
Notes 189
Bibliography 203
Index 213
v

Acknowledgments
I still remember the day I met Professor Kim Chae-yong at Caffé Pascucci in-
side Seoul Station. I was ecstatic to begin my research on North Korean litera-
ture under his supervision. The long and arduous process of reading countless
works of North Korean fiction began the very next day at the Information Cen-
ter on North Korea on the fifth floor of the National Library in Seoul. After
several months, Professor Kim and I met again at Caffé Pascucci. But this time,
I was distraught at the seemingly hopeless journey that I had set myself on.
Professor Kim offered me the greatest encouragement: “You have to be patient
with North Korean literature.” This succinct yet profound advice provided me
the strength to endure past the ostensible political propaganda and read the
humanity in the texts. I want to express my gratitude to Professor Kim for
opening the world of North Korean literature to me and helping me understand
that dynamic literary culture.
I owe special thanks to Kelly Jeong and Annmaria Shimabuku, who have
given me excellent feedback and constructive criticism during the various stages
of writing my chapters. John Kim, Namhee Lee, Dennis Lee, and other friends at
UCLA supported me through the initial stages of my research. Ming Ming Liu
took the time to help me shape my analyses of North Korean literature. I also
want to thank Perry Link for offering invaluable advice on how to approach
communist literature and for comparing Chinese literature with North Korean
fiction. But none can compare to the generosity of Henk Maier, who read my
chapters meticulously and pushed me to complete my manuscript.
My research would not have been possible without the funding I received
from the Academy of Korean Studies Grant and the Korea Foundation Fellow-
ship. Beyond financial support, these two grants provided me with the opportu-
nity to meet new people and forge lifelong relationships. I want to thank the two
librarians at the Information Center on North Korea, Mrs. Chŏng Hŭi-suk and
Ms. Sin Ŭn-jŏng, for treating me kindly during the period of over a year that I
spent in Korea and for helping me to find necessary information every day dur-
ing that time. I also deeply value the friendships of Koen de Ceuster, Andrei
vii
viii Acknowledgments
Lankov, Tatiana Gabbroussenko, Suzy Kim, Dima Mironenko, Janice Kim,
Sarah Eunkyung Chee, Brother Anthony, North Korean defector Choi Jin-hee,
Philo Kim of the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National
University, and Min-Kyung Yoon. The discussions we shared had a great impact
on the way I perceive North Korea and Korean Studies today. I want to thank the
faculty at Yonsei University, Seoul National University, and Sogang University
for giving me an opportunity to speak at their colloquia. I cannot thank Jacco
Zwetsloot enough for the lasting friendship we have maintained since the day we
first met at a talk I gave at Yonsei University.
The field of North Korean Studies is small, but it is made up of a powerful
group of scholars. Some of us call ourselves the Canberra Group, which consists
of Charles Armstrong, Ruth Barraclough, Dafna Zur, Cheehyung Harrison Kim,
Dima Mironenko, Ted Hughes, and myself. I am grateful to the members of this
group for their assistance with my book and other projects. In addition to this
group, I extend my gratitude to Marsha Haufler, George Kallander, Stephen
Epstein, Rüdiger Frank, and Heonik Kwon, scholars who work on North Korea
and have helped me over the years.
My colleagues at Binghamton University have been one of my strongest sup-
port groups, and I feel privileged to be a part of the Department of Asian and
Asian American Studies there. John Cheng has edited my chapters at various
stages of writing the book. Robert Ku has been a great source of encouragement,
along with Yoonkyung Lee, Sonja Kim, Sundai Cho, and Michael Pettid.
I want to thank Jun Yoo for invaluable advice on publishing my book and for
introducing me to the University of Hawai‘i Press. The decision to publish with
this press was perhaps one of the best moves I have made in my professional ca-
reer thus far. I thank the two anonymous readers who recommended the publi-
cation of this book and provided critical suggestions for improving the quality of
the content. This could not have been done without the full support of my editor,
Pamela Kelley. She has guided me through this process in the most efficient and
effective manner, transforming what began as a mere possibility of publication
into a reality. Her belief in my manuscript lifted my spirits at a time when I was
undergoing some difficulty, and I am truly grateful for her kindness.
I will never forget the emotional and spiritual support I have received from
my parents, Chul Young Kim and Sonya Kim; my brother Sam; my wife’s par-
ents, Hwang Hong Shik and Bae Jong Soon; my sisters-in-law, Hwang Yoo-kyung
and Hwang Eun-kyung; my brother-in-law Kim Nam-suk; and my nieces and
nephews, Myung-kil, Bum-jun, Min-kyung, and Min-jun. Above all, I want to
thank my best friend and awesome wife, Angela Kim, and my son, Nathan, who
have seen the best and worst sides of me during the process of writing my