북한 초기 역사학계의 단군신화 인식과 특징 -리상호와 리지린의 연구를 중심으로-

Abstract

This study examined what kind of problematic consciousness was involved in the discussions about the Dangun myth in the historical studies circle of North Korea in its early days and what results they reached. The disputes over Old Joseon in North Korea were intensive between 1959 and 1963 with a focus on the location and area of Old Joseon. There were two confronting views on the central location of Old Joseon: one argued it was Liaoning, and the other argued it was Pyeongyang. The former argument was usually led by historians, whereas the latter by archaeologists. About the time when the argument to support the Liaoning theory by historians took dominance over the other, a panel discussion took place about the Dangun myth. The panel discussion led by Lee Sang-ho and Lee Ji-rin that were strong advocates of Liaoning theory. They tried to find historical facts inherent in the myth, putting an emphasis on its historicity. As a result, the North Korean circle of historical studies recognized that the Dangun myth was the founding myth of Old Joseon to reflect the reality since the primitive society and contained important records of facts about the origin, history, and geography of the state. The historical significance of researches on the Dangun myth and Old Joseon those days, however, was that it provided an important opportunity for the North Korean circle of historical studies to convert from Marxist historical studies to North Korean-style nationalist historical studies.