한국일본학회

In this study, we focused on the background which identifies Pro-Japanese Literature and National Literature by comparing the works of Jang Hyuk-joo's nationality-compromised Japanese writings, which displayed pro-Japanese tendency until the end of the Japanese colonial rule, and the works of Korean-Japanese writers Kim Dal-su and Kim Seok-bum, who are known for composing National Literature after Koreas' liberation. Jang Hyuk-joo received attention of the Japanese literary world for his writing “Aguido”, which portrayed national resistance against the Japanese colonial rule. However, such literary activities were difficult to continue after the strengthening of censorship. In addition, there was a desire within Jang Hyuk-joo to escape from the contempt given by the Confucian society of Chosun, which encouraged the inferiority consciousness of the writer. This is because Jang Hyuk-joo was born as the child of a gi-saeng (korean geisha), meaning that it was easy to embrace the Japanization policy forwarded by the Japanese imperialism. When an extreme ideological confrontation stemmed within Korea the Korean-Japanese writers Kim Dal-soo and Kim Seok-bum found that it was impossible return to their liberated country. So, they decided to continue their literary struggles in the relatively open-minded Japan, concentrated on criticism against the dictatorship of Korea that stood against the nation's unification, and the woes of living the life as a Korean-Japanese minority. To conclude, Jang Hyuk-joo's case was that the consciousness of inferiority formed by Confucianism and the antipathy against the literary circles of Chosun encouraged his departure from his born nationalty, whereas Kim Dal-su and Kim Seok-bum's case was that the discrimination and disfavor from the Japanese society against Korean-Japanese residents led them to long for their return.