한·일 관계의 역학과 월남민 남성의 자아정체성 - 이범선 장편소설 ˹검은 해협˼ 연구 -

Abstract

This paper studies how the male refugee from North Korea perceives the Korea-Japan relationship in the novel Black Strait by Lee Beom-sun, and finds its meaning. This paper analyzes the relationship among character personality, hierarchical order and the background of the times, focusing on individual morality, gender and nationality. In the novel, the characters form compositions as “Korean male-Japanese male” and “Korean male-Japanese female.” The Korean man beats the Japanese man because he has superior moral sense. Because the Japanese man is mean, he cannot beat the Korean even though he uses military force. Meanwhile, an order is formed by a gender between a Korean man and a Japanese woman in a romantic relationship. Instead of being protected by the Korean man, the Japanese woman loses her identity, and her sexuality is controlled by Korean traditional patriarchal system. The relationship follows the generation of children in South Korea in the 1970s. With Japan threatening South Korea with its economic power, the Korean son wins over the Japanese son’s “money power” with dignity. This means This means not only that the view of life, which a refugee has been following since the past, are justified, but also that life continues. In the novel, the Korea-Japan relationship ends with ‘moral’ Korea embracing Japan. The relationship is exclusive to a female character because it only accepts male blood clots being cautious about Japan. The values of the male refugee from North Korea and his response to reality in Black Strait are compatible with the characteristics of Lee Beom-sun’s later works. Therefore, studies on Lee Beom-sun’s novels will help us to understand the changes in the writer’s sense as a refugee from North Korea.