<Reemergence of Modern Kim Ok-gyun and Revolt against EraPivot on Na Woon-gyu’s Movie「The Strange tales of Enlightenment Party」 ->
Around 1930s, the historical facts about Kim Ok-gyun and Gapsin Coup had been built as a cultural symbol through 1920s ...
<Reemergence of Modern Kim Ok-gyun and Revolt against EraPivot on Na Woon-gyu’s Movie「The Strange tales of Enlightenment Party」 ->
Around 1930s, the historical facts about Kim Ok-gyun and Gapsin Coup had been built as a cultural symbol through 1920s diverse and concrete cultural discussion depend on Kim Ok-gyun’s 『Gapsin Coup Diary』 and 1930s – 1940s various cultural contents such as novel, play, gramophone album and movie. One example is a silent film <The Strange tales of Enlightenment Party> which was directed, written, leaded by Na Woon-gyu. Kim Ok-gyun and Gapsin Coup’s reemergence in that film can be shown as reproducing Kim Ok-gyun and Gapsin Coup through the influence of the people’s needs or revolt in that era.
Even though, <The Strange tales of Enlightenment Party> had been failed at the box office due to the indiscriminate erasure by government’s censorship and the trend change from a silent film to sound film, this film tried to recall Kim Ok-gyun from historical memory, Gapsin Coup that Kim Ok-gyun aroused when his country faced crisis, and lead anger and sorrow of people who lost their country into resistance and struggle.
In that context, Na Woon-gyu made efforts to clarify the distorted truth of Kim Ok-gyun and Enlightenment party that they are ‘Iljinhoe’. And his movie <The Strange tales of Enlightenment Party> also expressed his hope that the people of the colonial era become second Kim Ok-gyun with their own volition and make their own, another, successful, second Gapsion Coup unlike the first, failed one.
And that is the reason why reemerge Kim Ok-gyun and that is revolting against era. Like this Kim Ok-gyun keeps reproduce in a refracted way to meet the public’s cultural need or to meet the needs of the periods by projecting in that period. And this must be the reason why reemergence happens in present day.
<A new understanding of the process of Japan’s annexation of Korea seen by the historical other person:Focusing on the death of Kim Ok-kyun and its sensation represented in The assassin of Gojong>
In 1971, Aoyagi Midori published the historical novel, The Assassin of Gojong. The assassin of Gojong, the title of the novel, indicates Hong Jong-woo. He is the person who assassinated Kim Ok-kyun. After having lived in exile for about ten years, Kim Ok-kyun crossed over Shanghai to meet Lee Hong-jang of the Qing Dynasty on the 28th of March, 1894. At that time, Hong accompanied Kim and assassinated him.
The writer regarded the reason of the acute conflict and opposition between Korea and Japan of the present as Japan’s annexation of Korea, and established Hong Jong-woo as the main character who had been disregarded historically to criticize history objectively. Aoyagi considered the starting point of Japan’s annexation of Korea to be the failure of the Gapsin coup. The death of Kim Ok-kyun has been repeatedly used and reproduced as cultural contents until now. However, they couldn’t get out of reflecting the period. Moreover, they would be used as the mechanism to rationalize the policy of the Greater East Asia by the Japanese imperialism. The writer thought Hong Jong-woo is the historical “other person” who was excluded from both Korea and Japan, so he could maintain the relative distance from two and criticize them objectively. In the perspective of Hong Jong-woo, Japan’s annexation of Korea is not the result of unilateral fault of Korea or Japan, but both of them are responsible for it. That is to say, there lies critical implication that they have to advance forward through the historical reflection and introspection.
In Korea, the movement of reviewing the history is currently increasing. In other words, it means that we have to get out of historical recognition of considering the tragic history as our weak point of the past because of the invasion and suppression caused by the outside. Instead, we explore the cause of it in the relations between the inside and outside of Korea, and reestablish our history. This work will enable us to criticize our negatively considered history objectively. Furthermore, we’ll be able to free ourselves from a narrow nationalist viewpoint of our history, and consider it more extensively and critically.
In fact, we have experienced lots of exploitation and suppression during the colonial period of about 35 years. Even in praesenti, they remain as historical agony. So far as Japan denies the historical fact, and would not reflect and apologize its fault, the conflict between Korea and Japan would be worsened. The writer Aoyagi Midori made us rather see our history derived from the process of Japan’s annexation of Korea objectively and critically than try to get away of it by viewing Korea negatively, even if it gets stained by self reproach and hatred. This novel has a signification in that it suggested the harmony and coexistence between Korea and Japan through self reflection and healing.