Crossing the Lines: Pak Indŏk, Christianity, and the Impulse to Claim New Space

Abstract:Pak Indŏk (1896–1980) is one of the most controversial women intellectuals of modern Korea. She was the protégé of US missionary teachers in her youth, an activist for national independence, a member of the US-educated elite, a prominent Christian convert who travelled around the world twice giving lectures about her salvation, an early media figure dubbed "Korea's Nora" after her sensational divorce, and a collaborator with the Japanese imperial power during the Pacific War who quickly switched her political allegiance in postcolonial Korea to become a vehement anticommunist. Using Pak's life story as a case study, this article examines the critical role of Protestant Christianity in shaping the gender politics of colonial-era Korea through which women navigated conflicting life options, coped with old and new challenges, and positioned themselves amid turbulent political changes. It particularly illuminates Pak's choices and strategies for her life and work, which could be alternatively characterized as "fluid," "ingenious," "opportunistic," or even "immoral," depending on the perspective one adopts on her. This article brings to light tensions between nationalism and feminism, between Christian faith and political allegiance, and between individual ambition and national wellbeing.