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An Analysis of Before and After Liberation by Yi Taejun

Yukyung Lee

Student number: 1769058

Modern History of Korea (01)

November 30, 2021

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"Is all this merely a dream?" Hyon constantly questioned himself after the announcement

of Korea’s independence (Yi 1946, 257). After 35 years of Japan’s colonization, this reaction

was reasonable. Scholars of Korean literature have long been interested in the development of

modern Korean literature during the early years of Japanese colonial rule in 1910–1945

(Stevenson 1998, 2). Yi Taejun, chief editor of Choson Chungang Ilbo, was one of the most

prolific writers that molded colonial Korea during the time of Japanese rule. One of his

influential works, Before and After Liberation,  talks of Korea’s wartime oppression under Japan

and the joy that came, followed by the struggles of Korea’s independence (Yi 1946, 236). The

short non-fiction follows the life of a Korean writer named Hyon as he fights to stay devoted to

his country despite the harsh critics. This paper will analyze the conflicting themes between the

expectations for Korea’s great future and the perception that nothing will change.

Through the protagonist, Hyon, Yi expresses hopeful expectations for Korea. The novel

starts off with Hyon being summoned by Detective Suruda of the Tongdaemun police station.

Hyon tried to be calm, but he could not contain his imagination from going wild. He thought that

he was in trouble for corrupting the youth with his books and letters, as many young men visited

him seeking solutions to their problems. He also thought that he was going to be drafted into the

Reserve Corps to serve under Japan. All of which he did not want. Due to being subjected to

these risks, his wife would always talk of running away and living in the countryside. At first, he

entertained this idea, but he could not easily escape his reality due to money problems and the

extreme consequences such as imprisonment or execution. Unlike what Hyon feared, he was

merely questioned by Detective Suruda on what he was doing to contribute to Japan’s regime.

Detective Suruda even persuaded Hyon to change his Korean name to Japanese because "it’s a

very easy thing to do". The detective seemed to assume Hyon had not changed his name due to
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the inconvenience of the procedure, but it is evident Hyon wants to keep his Korean name. He

was then ordered to translate some novels to demonstrate loyalty if he wanted to exonerate

himself in the eyes of the Japanese military. Hyon expresses that he has been living in

humiliation and has never felt true happiness due to the oppression of Japan. He follows this by

saying, "Why should I write a war record in favor of Japan and not a record of Japan’s defeat

instead?” (Yi 1946, 241). Nevertheless, he humors the Japanese as he wants to survive. He does

not wish to survive because he is conceited but because he is hoping to live until Korea’s

independence. He compares his situation to that of a German poet who committed suicide due to

an unexpected outcome in the Soviet Union and Germany's adjoining. However, in the end, both

countries were at war again. This gave Hyon a sense of hope, as he believed that with the allied

forces of America, Britain, and China, they would be victorious against Japan. He exclaimed in

excitement, "Let’s trust in the justice of history! If history betrays mankind, there’ll always be

time to despair afterwards” (Yi 1946, 241). It is evident that Hyon despises the Japanese as he

refuses to attend the writer’s rally to which he was invited by the Patriotic Association of Writers

Seoul (PAW). Unfortunately, due to pressure, he attends the rally but sneaks out as he is appalled

by the Korean writers' speaking in their broken Japanese, praising their colonizers. He compares

the Korean writers' speaking Japanese to those of dogs and pigs uttering their own language (Yi

1946, 247). This was a very significant part of the text as it shows how Japan was coercing the

Korean people to use the Japanese language to eliminate the Korean language. Hyon, in a

constant state of turmoil and in need of comfort, ends up meeting with an old friend, Kim

Chigwon.

Kim Chigwon is, an old-fashioned Confucian scholar who shares the same hopes and

dreams of liberation as Hyon does. tremendous social resistance to Japan. During the Gabo
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Reform of the hair cutting decree in 1895, Korean men were forced to cut their topknots to

establish equality against other nation-states, following the universal standard of civilization. The

cutting of the topknot was the representation of the first concrete and physical experience of

modernity. It may seem insignificant, but it was not just about appearance but about social

representation that symbolized one's belonging to a certain society, a way to distinguish one from

another. In Confucian, one’s body is part of their parents and it was disgraceful to harm himself,

including cutting his hair. Preservation of one’s hair was a symbol of filial piety. Therefore,

protecting their bodies was a part of their cultural identity. Near the end of the text, he is warned

by the Japanese police to change his hair and clothes, but he refuses, as he states how a

Confucian cannot be a Confucian if he does not follow the teachings of Confucius to preserve the

body gifted to him by his parents (Yi 1946, 255). Even at the risk of danger, Kim stands his

ground when it comes to protecting his moral beliefs and his cultural identity. Hyon paid

frequent visits to Kim, whom he describes as "a man of rare integrity" (Yi 1946, 243). After the

demise of the Choson Dynasty, Kim has only been to Seoul once due to his imprisonment in the

March First Movement of 1919 (Yi 1946, 243). This movement served as a catalyst for the

establishment of the Provisional Government of Korea, and it was one of the earliest public

displays of Korean resistance against Japan. Despite Hyon and Kim’s indifference to knowledge

of each other’s literature, they were able to communicate with one another through their longing

desire for freedom (Yi 1946, 244).

Alas, the independence of Korea that Kim and Hyon longed for finally came, but it was

far from what they had hoped. By the summer of 1945, Japan had lost the war. Hyon could not

believe his ears, but the most shocking thing was how disinterested the Korean people were. He

felt almost defeated as he looked into their sunken eyes and tired expressions. Hyon arrived in
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Seoul, but nothing seemed to have changed as the Japanese soldiers still surrounded the city (Yi

1946, 257-258). Political polarization occupied Korea and people were compelled to choose

between two camps, anticipating the country's future division (Yi 1946, 263). In this way, Yi

depicted the pressures that were imposed on individuals following their independence. Hyon felt

compelled to assist in attempts to liberate Korea from the shackles and bindings of colonialism

that remained in place, but he did not fully embrace the leftist regime. This is demonstrated by

his decision to put an end to the Munhyop's enthusiastic support for a communist demonstration.

Amid the chaos, Dr. Syngman Rhee appeared and stated that Koreans should be united.

However, they became more prone to suspicions than trust. Soon after, robbery increased, and

prices of goods soared. Even worse, the trusteeship aggravated the situation and caused rallies of

anti-trusteeship protests, which Hyon also joined. However, Hyon soon realizes he has made a

mistake and quickly tries to convince others that a trusteeship is the solution to their problems.

At that moment, his good friend Kim arrives, but it is not a warm encounter as Kim and Hyon

disagree for the first time. Kim supports the provisional government’s return to power because

they have been fighting for the Korean people overseas. While Hyon believes that the people

who fought and stayed in Korea were more worthy of claiming the authority of Korea’s

government, Kim becomes angry at the fact that Hyon supports the trusteeship and calls him a

"communist". The novel concludes with the heartbreaking scene of Hyon and Kim going

separate ways. Hyon climbs to the roof to watch him go for the last time (Yi 1946, 266-273). We

get the impression that Hyon is letting go of his past. Hyon, like Kim, is depicted as a traditional

man at the beginning of the novel. However, towards the end of the novel, we discover that Hyon

has broken free from his conservative ways and is embracing the new era for the truth

(Stevenson 1998, 58-59).

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In conclusion, Yi Taejun’s short story Before and After Liberation vividly shows the

events leading up to and following the 1945 liberation. At the beginning of the novel, Hyon and

Kim constantly talk about their expectations of Korea’s independence and future. They imagined

it to be something extraordinary and rewarding. However, soon after it was gained, there was a

sense that nothing would change. The Korean people were impassive, and the fight to establish a

government caused division within the nation. Hyon and Kim Chigwon's dynamic relationship

completed the tale by emphasizing Hyon's move to seek a new world order. Despite the absence

of the happy ending Hyon and Kim envisioned, Yi perfectly depicted the realistic momentum of

the outcomes of liberation.

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Bibliography

Stevenson, R. Joel. Korean Short Fiction From the Liberation Period, 54-59, 1998.
Yi, T'aejun. Before and After Liberation - A Writer's Memoir, 235–73, 1946.