소설과 외교 문서로 본 북송 사업의 실체와 한국 정부의 대응 전략

Abstract

The North Korean repatriation project is an event that left deep scars on Korean modern and contemporary history, but its substance remains hidden in the history that has not been well known to the public. This article sheds new light on the issue of forcible repatriation to North Korea through the novel titled “Stories of People who Returned from Japan to North Korea”, written by Eiko Kawasaki, a Korean resident in Japan who returned to North Korea on a repatriation ship during her third year of high school, as well as through diplomatic documents from 1979 to 1981. Due to its complex nature, the North Korean repatriation project is referred to by various names across different countries, and these differences in naming reflect not just linguistic distinctions but also the political context and historical interests of each country. The term ‘Koreans in Japan’ also implies such complexity, and this functioned as an important factor that made many people choose to be repatriated to the North. In this article, it was confirmed that the North Korean repatriation project occurred at the intersection of the interests of South Korea, North Korea, and Japan and the issue about the identity of Koreans in Japan. In addition, an in-depth discussion was made on the South Korean government’s aspect of responses, the political and social implications of the North Korean repatriation project, and the broader implications it carries. This article intended to increase a deeper understanding of the North Korean repatriation project through it.