The two types of Korean poetry in light of Baekseok’s poem

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the differences in the directions that South and North Korean literature took during the early years of partition, through Baekseok’s poetry. The changes in Baekseok’s poetry after the partition of Korea can be explored from various perspectives, such as its themes, vocabulary, phrasing, and imagery. However, this paper will focus on work that conveys a common theme but that employs varied poetic diction and imagery. The poems that Baekseok wrote in the two Koreas were quite different from each other, but they also had aspects in common. Both when he wrote poetry as a promising newcomer in the Joseon poetry world before the partition of Korea and when he wrote as a socialist poet in Pyongyang after the partition, Baekseok never lost his sense of nostalgia and his self-consciousness as a poet, as well as his attachment to a community based on humanity. He perennially attempted to express the artistry of literature, the beauty of language, and the warmth of humanity, because he believed that these traits are the essence of poetry. Therefore, he simply changed the focus of his poems, from community and the family table to workers and the table in a communal cafeteria. The bonds of love and kinship were relegated to a position behind his pride in the labor of socialist workers, and his celebration of a new kind of hierarchy. This can be seen as a process that demonstrates how literature changes as a result of the demands of socialist propaganda. It also illustrates a method of dealing with socialist themes using the artistry and sentiments of literature. © 2017 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved.