김말봉의 『별들의 고향』에 나타난 공창폐지운동과 이념의 분열

Abstract

While prior research that has tended to view the licensed prostitution abolition movement through a binary lens centered on the author’s political ideology, this study explored the internal contradictions of the licensed prostitution abolition movement as portrayed in Kim Mal-bong’s Stars’ Home. Although the abolition of licensed prostitution was a major nation-building agenda during the post-liberation period, it was more closely aligned with economic contexts than ideological or ethical concerns . Through various essays, Kim Mal-bong supports the abolition of licensed prostitution while critiquing the lukewarm stance of the male-dominated political sphere in South Korea, revealing how the movement was marginalized as a women’s issue. While socialist and democratic values are presented as ideals through the voices of characters, the ideologies and practices of individuals who identify with specific political stances are persistently separated. This study examines the internal fragmentation of ideology that emerged through the abolition movement of licensed prostitution, illustrating that the abolition was a complex intersection of women’s issues, economic discourse, and political narratives. The post-liberation period was not merely a time of left-right political confrontation but also a chaotic era in which both the left and right were internally fragmented.