A study on memory reproduction in the memoirs of writers after the war

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the representation of war in the memoirs of postwar writers, 90 days of hardship. Memoirs of the war contain a self-proof of the purpose of surviving in South Korea. The state deployed literary men in cultural projects to spread anti-communist ideology. The book produced as part of this program is 90 days of hardship. The national anthem emphasized the North Korean military’s reality, South Korea’s position in the international situation of June 25, and the victims’ consciousness. Memoirs played the role of spreading the memory of the nation at that time. Yu Jin-oh and Mo Yun-suk, Korea University professor Lee Kun-ho, and former Hansung Ilbo political and police chief Koo Cheol-hoe wrote this book. They recalled their experiences during the occupation of Seoul by North Korea. The narrative structure of Yu Jin-oh and Mo Yun-suk’s writings highlights the central character and ventures through hardships and overcoming. While Yu Jin-oh described fragmented psychological experiences in which the rational self collapsed, Mo Yun-suk emphasized the tragic story of the victim. Their writings explored the true story and revealed the historical reality. On the other hand, the writings of Lee Kun-ho and Gu Cheol-hoe eliminated the subject of memory, eloquently expressed anti-communism, and maximized the horrors of war. 90 days of hardship echoed the national identity and spread the anti-communist ideology. It specified the victims of the war and embodied the confrontation between the South and the North. ‘Remembering’ is the task of establishing meaning to individual and collective identities. This was an important purpose for investigating the war after the restoration of Seoul in 1950.