The Literary Therapeutic Function of Folk Tale of Recovering Parents for the Problem of Family Relationship Breakdown

This study focuses on ‘the Problem of Family Relationship Breakdown’ of Jangmadang Generation North Korean refugees. I designed what kind of psychotherapeutic effect Korean Folktale could have. Because the Jangmadang Generation chose to defect from North Korea to overcome social and personal limitations, they are experiencing more complex conflicts regarding their relationship with their North Korean family. Therefore, I proposed a literary therapy plan to them to think about ‘how do I understand my parents’ life, and what kind of life do I want to live now?’ In this literature therapy, stories of Recovering Parents can be applied. These works contain the epic structure of ‘support after growth’ and special Motifs that enable emotional connection with parents. North Korean refugees can imagine ways to relieve the pain of broken family relationships through emotional connection without giving up the advantages gained through parental pushing away. Further more, this study presented a case of literary therapy using the folktales 〈Live in My Fortune〉 and 〈The Prayer of Past Life Parents〉. North Korean refugees deeply understood the two folktales and reinterpreted the meaning of the works by connecting them to their own lives. In this case, it was confirmed that the two folktales played a role in representing their lives and imagining a positive future.