재일조선인 시인 종추월의 ‘귀로 먹은’ 언어와 실패하는 ‘자장가’ 시 ―김시종의 ‘생리의 언어’를 경유하며―

Abstract

This article focuses on the second collection of poems Ikaino, Woman, Love, Song (1984) by Jong Chu-wol (1944-2011), a poet and writer who emerged on the Korean-Japanese literary scene in 1971. In particular, the poems related to “lullabies” in this collection are seen as significant for examining two major characteristics of Jong Chu-wol’s poetry：the “Ear-Eaten” language of the Zainichi and “motherhood” as a site of “reincarnation.” At this point, Jong Chuwol’s “Ear-Eaten” language, which is also referred to as the people’s word, is considered to resonate with the “language of physiology” advocated by Kim Si-jong, who is regarded as the ideological leader of the Zainichi Korean community. Also, the fact that the second collection was published 13 years after the first indicates the complex discrimination that Jong Chu-wol faced as a Zainichi Korean and as a woman. The poems “Oogiijaarang(오오기쟈랑)” and “Regretful Song(미련한 노래)” which attempt to swap bodies with the poet’s own mother, as well as the poem “Incho(인초)” which reflects on how Jong Chu-wol, living Zainichi, responded to the Gwangju Uprising that caused a ‘functional change’ in her language, are all influenced by the subtitle ‘lullaby.’ Despite the significance of Jong Chu-wol in the history of Zainichi Korean literature, there are very few studies dedicated to her work, either in Korea or Japan. Through a close analysis of her works, this article confirms that Jong Chu-wol’s “Ear-Eaten” language shows that Zainichi Koreans cannot be easily categorized as “border people” caught between Korea and Japan. This is because the “physiology” of Zainichi Koreans is not only chants the pain of being denied in Korea as “outsiders” living in their former suzerain Japan and as “non-nationals” in Japan, but also encompasses a broader range of experiences and emotions.