Comments on: 우리나라를 해방시킨… http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2005/10/10/haebang-sikin/ Thoughts on Korea, northeast Asia, history and other things Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:22:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: kotaji http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2005/10/10/haebang-sikin/#comment-93 Thu, 20 Oct 2005 12:10:13 +0100 http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2005/10/10/haebang-sikin/#comment-93 The more I look at this picture the more interesting details I see. Like the rising sun in the background. This seems to be quite an important symbol in North Korean iconography for some reason. Obviously in this case it represents the arrival of liberation and the Soviet army, whereas later it seems to be a direct reference to the advent of the Great Leader. Antti: that's a linguistic subtlety I didn't pick up on at all. Very interesting. The more I look at this picture the more interesting details I see. Like the rising sun in the background. This seems to be quite an important symbol in North Korean iconography for some reason. Obviously in this case it represents the arrival of liberation and the Soviet army, whereas later it seems to be a direct reference to the advent of the Great Leader.

Antti: that’s a linguistic subtlety I didn’t pick up on at all. Very interesting.

]]> by: Antti http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2005/10/10/haebang-sikin/#comment-71 Thu, 13 Oct 2005 08:05:13 +0100 http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2005/10/10/haebang-sikin/#comment-71 Comment on the word for Soviet Union in the banner, 쏘베트. The use of that instead of the (Sino-) Korean 소련/쏘련 tells also of the position of Soviet Union vis-a-vis DPRK. In the case of use of Finnish in Soviet Union in the 30s before Stalin's purges and cessation of the use of the language altogether, the same word was used. Instead of the Finnish <i>Neuvostoliitto</i> ("council/soviet union"), the Soviet form in the mid-30s was <i>Sovettiliitto</i>. Comment on the word for Soviet Union in the banner, 쏘베트.

The use of that instead of the (Sino-) Korean 소련/쏘련 tells also of the position of Soviet Union vis-a-vis DPRK. In the case of use of Finnish in Soviet Union in the 30s before Stalin’s purges and cessation of the use of the language altogether, the same word was used. Instead of the Finnish Neuvostoliitto (”council/soviet union”), the Soviet form in the mid-30s was Sovettiliitto.

]]> by: kotaji http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2005/10/10/haebang-sikin/#comment-70 Wed, 12 Oct 2005 15:04:33 +0100 http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2005/10/10/haebang-sikin/#comment-70 Your impression of Lankov may be right, although I don't know him personally. The problem I have is that in his bashing of the left/progressive forces in South Korea he seems to want to throw everyone in together as though there are no progressive academics or writers who recognise the role of the Soviet Union. In fact I think there are some people who have a better analysis than he does. But that's something I'm intending to write an article on in the next couple of weeks. I'll send you a copy when I've finished it if you like. Besides the (admittedly relatively few) South Korean academics and leftists who take an anti-Stalinist view of early North Korean history, there is also the Japanese academic Wada Haruki who specialised in the Soviet role in North Korea. Since you can read Japanese you should definitely look at his stuff - I've only read quotations of his work in Korean articles. With regard to your comparison of Armstrong and Lankov's books, I have to admit that I've only flicked through them but I didn't get the immediate impression that they were entirely incompatible. It seemed more that they each have their own set of sources that they have 'mined' and this gives their work a different emphasis. Perhaps your close reading came up with some more substantial differences? Your impression of Lankov may be right, although I don’t know him personally. The problem I have is that in his bashing of the left/progressive forces in South Korea he seems to want to throw everyone in together as though there are no progressive academics or writers who recognise the role of the Soviet Union. In fact I think there are some people who have a better analysis than he does. But that’s something I’m intending to write an article on in the next couple of weeks. I’ll send you a copy when I’ve finished it if you like.

Besides the (admittedly relatively few) South Korean academics and leftists who take an anti-Stalinist view of early North Korean history, there is also the Japanese academic Wada Haruki who specialised in the Soviet role in North Korea. Since you can read Japanese you should definitely look at his stuff - I’ve only read quotations of his work in Korean articles.

With regard to your comparison of Armstrong and Lankov’s books, I have to admit that I’ve only flicked through them but I didn’t get the immediate impression that they were entirely incompatible. It seemed more that they each have their own set of sources that they have ‘mined’ and this gives their work a different emphasis. Perhaps your close reading came up with some more substantial differences?

]]> by: K. M. Lawson http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2005/10/10/haebang-sikin/#comment-67 Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:50:16 +0100 http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2005/10/10/haebang-sikin/#comment-67 I would be very interested in your further thoughts on this issue. We had a kind of Lankov vs. Armstrong debate by looking at each of their books on North Korea after the war in Carter Eckert's class last year. At the time, I was impressed by Lankov's evidence but I was annoyed by what I felt to be an often arrogant tone in his writing, like everyone was an idiot to look for any complexity in the early postwar North Korean case. I would be very interested in your further thoughts on this issue. We had a kind of Lankov vs. Armstrong debate by looking at each of their books on North Korea after the war in Carter Eckert’s class last year. At the time, I was impressed by Lankov’s evidence but I was annoyed by what I felt to be an often arrogant tone in his writing, like everyone was an idiot to look for any complexity in the early postwar North Korean case.

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