포스트 메모리 세대와 5ㆍ18 －박솔뫼의 「그럼 무얼 부르지」와 한정현의 「쿄코와 쿄지」를 중심으로－

Abstract

The Gwangju Uprising, one of the most tragic events in modern Korean history, has undergone various processes of narrative representation since the 1980s. As part of the struggle to reveal the truths of the distorted and concealed events, efforts have been made to reconstruct the occurrences in Gwangju with extreme realism. At the same time, the possibilities and ethics of representing the events of May 18 have been seriously contemplated. A series of narratives reimagining Gwangju, written in the early 2010s, have been interpreted as acts of resistance against the political regression of Korean society during that period. These novels depict evolving emotions, ranging from guilt to a desire for vengeance. This essay aims to explore the ways in which the narratives of Gwangju representation have evolved with a sense of contemporaneity by examining the novels of post-memory generation authors, Park Sol-moe and Han Jeong-hyeon, who were born after the Gwangju Uprising. Park Sol-moe’s “What Shall We Say Then?”(「그럼 무얼 부르지」) is an exception among Gwangju-related narratives in that it does not directly depict victims who suffer and bleed. Instead, the novel repeatedly portrays the confusion and discomfort of the post-memory generation, particularly the protagonist’s uncertainty about what should be said regarding Gwangju. This discomfort can be explained by the vague sense of distance felt by a generation that did not directly experience the event, which may be understood as a minimal ethical stance for those not directly involved. Han Jeong-hyeon’s “Kyoko and Kyoji”(「쿄코와 쿄지」) features characters who are not only victims of Gwangju but also of systemic gender injustices, rigid gender binaries, and the myths of nationalism and statism. Ultimately, this novel emphasizes that while the Gwangju Uprising was an exceptional tragedy, the history of human hatred and discrimination continues and is often reinforced by such catastrophic events. The novel’s significance lies in its role as a record on behalf of those who are now “unable to speak,” rather than as a direct testimony of the Gwangju victims. “Kyoko and Kyoji” seeks to blur the divide between witnesses and non-witnesses, namely between those who directly experienced Gwangju and the post-memory generation, underscoring that the tragedy of May 1980 cannot be fossilized. A common theme in the novels of Park Sol-moe and Han Jeong-hyeon is the notion of diverse “connections” centered around Gwangju. Park’s novel raises questions about how the post-Gwangju generation should remember May 1980 by depicting the chance encounters and rediscovery of memories that occur in unexpected places. Han’s novel, by illustrating the ongoing history of human hatred and exclusion before and after Gwangju, persuasively argues for the continuous relevance of the Gwangju Uprising in contemporary discourse. Therefore, the narratives of Gwangju representation by the post-memory generation are distant from fossilizing or mythologizing the events of May 1980. Instead, these narratives evolve to consistently connect the tragedy with the present, urging society to consider how these historical events continue to shape both the present and the future.