한설야의 제3세계 인식 -1950년대 중․후반의 기행문을 중심으로

Abstract

This study set out to examine the formation and changing patterns of Han Seol-ya’s perceptions of the Third World with a focus on his travel essays related to Asia and Africa that were published from 1957∼1960. The independent solidarity of the Third World began to be visualized at the Bandung Conference in 1955. The U.S.A. and the Soviet Union had opposite reactions to the conference. While the U.S.A. defined communism as a threat and was openly against it, the Soviet Union actively supported it and sent a congratulatory telegram. It was thus natural that South Korea was not able to participate in various conferences led by Asia and Africa with North Korea actively participating in them. The year 1956 held important significance for North Korea internally. The year witnessed the excess achievement of the three-year plan for post-war restoration and the holding of the 3rd Congress of Worker’s Party of Korea (WPK) and 2nd Congress of North Korean Writers. They signified that North Korea became internally stable across politics, economy, culture, and art while at the same time, created minimal conditions for North Korea to broaden its vision into the international community. The study examined Han’s travel essays after his participation in Asian and African conferences as a representative of North Korea. He made visits to India, Egypt, Uzbek Republic, and Guinea. He participated in these conferences for the solidarity of Asia and Africa and visited the concerned nations. Since the nations, except for Uzbek, were not socialist states, he must have had strange and new experiences as a representative of North Korea and as an individual. Even though his trips were not personal, his travel essays contained his personal ideas and viewpoints that were different from official reports and speeches. The present study examined the patterns and meanings of his perceptions of the Third World as it was formed and changed with a focus on his travel essays published between 1957∼1960.