The representation of the enemy in North and South Korean literature from the Korean War

摘要

The way in which the enemy was portrayed in North and South Korean literature differs according to each state's pre-war paradigm. With large-scale popular uprisings taking place in the South before the war, the literary focus rested almost exclusively on the ideological corruption of the enemy. The North Korean context was different. The Pyongyang regime was quickly able to establish a stable society, and they could concentrate on perceived external threats, and thus, their stories stress the Americans' imperialist ambitions in Korea. Each side claimed that the citizens of the enemy state were longing for liberation from their oppressors, and tried to accentuate the enemy's humanity by emphasizing the distinction between those in power and the general public. Their stories suggest that it is almost impossible to maintain a clear distinction between the elites and the ordinary population, and therefore, a group of potential allies could be easily framed as ruthless enemies. The foreign enemy, however, was portrayed in a much less subtle manner in which racist or bestial traits were commonly used to describe them.