만화 『남벌』에 나타난 한일전쟁과 일본 응징 정서 - 1990년대 한국 사회의 분위기와 관련해서

Abstract

This study is about the analysis of the Korean-Japanese war in Lee Hyun-se’s Nambeol and the sentiment of punishing Japanese described through this virtual war, and reviewing them with regard to the atmosphere in the Korean society in the 1990’s. The comic, Nambeol about a virtual war between Korea and Japan was published in the mid-1990’s. This comic describes that Japan invades Indonesia for oil, and Korean declares and conducts a war against Japan. Nambeol describes the virtual war between Korea and Japan in detail, and contains the strong sense of punishing Japan. In spite of its several problems, the comic was very popular in the 1990’s. Why the comic was so popular? The reason is the anti-Japan sentiment of the Korean society in the 1990’s. The President Kim Young-sam’s government in the 1990’s pursued the historical rectification of Japanese legacies and the policies were widely supported in the Korean society. However, the historical matters requiring Japan’s cooperation for settlement failed. In an external aspect, the ‘historical rectification of Japanese legacies’ was a great frustration, making the Korean society get into rage. But, in the process, Korea had to know economic, military, and cultural gap with Japan in the international waves. As a result, the 1990’s was a time when the anti-Japan sentiment mixed with wrath and sense of crisis against Japan was socially pervaded and it affected the society. At that time, Nambeol was about a virtual history of Korean-Japanese war inspired by wrath and sense of crisis against Japan. And its military victory ending offered catharsis to the readers, and the cartoon was hugely popular. Therefore, the comic Nambeol and its popularity seem to show the atmosphere in the Korean society in the 1990’s when the anti-Japan sentiment was strong.