Joel Stevenson

The Liberation period (Haebang Konggan) in Korea lasted from the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945, until August 15, 1948, when separate regimes were formed north and south of the 38th parallel. This three-year period was marked first by jubilation at the ending of the oppressive Japanese colonial rule. Next came the solemn realization that Korea had been liberated but was not independent. Lastly was the reality of national division. With Liberation, Korea's writers clamored to restore the literary activity that had been snuffed out in the last years of Japanese rule. Writers that had been active during the colonial period resumed their writing after Liberation. Included in this group are Kim Tongni (1913-1995), Yom Sangsop (1897-1963), Yi Kiyong (b. 1896), An Hoenam (b. 1910), and Ch'ae Mansik (1902-1950) to name but a few. These years were a tumultuous and confusing time in Korea. It was a time when writers were free to write as they pleased. This confusion and freedom are reflected in the works of short fiction produced in the Liberation period. Some of the themes common to the fiction from this period include: the return of Koreans from overseas, whether from exile, forced labor, or conscription; collaboration; "self-criticism;" the hopes of a bright new future, and the realization that nothing was going to change.