Lee Hoesung
Encyclopedia
Lee Hoesung is a Zainichi Korean
novelist in Japan
. In 1972, he became the first ethnic Korean to win the Akutagawa Prize
. Other representative works of his include Mihatenu Yume (見果てぬ夢; Unfulfilled Dream) and Hyakunenno tabibitotachi (百年の旅人たち; Travellers of a Hundred Years).
immigrant parents in Maoka, Karafuto Prefecture
(the southern half of modern-day Sakhalin
), and lived there until age 10. After the surrender of Japan
which ended World War II
, Lee's family, having gotten mixed in with Japanese settlers, escaped from the advancing Soviet troops
and got off of Karafuto. They went as far as the Ōmura detention camp, a processing center for migrants repatriating from former territories of the Empire of Japan
, but finding themselves unable to return to Korea
as they had planned, they settled down in Sapporo, Hokkaidō
. At that time, Lee's older sister had been left behind in Karafuto
; in his later works, he describes the traumatic impression this left on him. From Sapporo's West High School, Lee advanced to Tokyo
's Waseda University
, where he studied literature. While there, he was active in exchange student activities. After graduation, he first aimed at creative work in Korean, but then decided to become active in Japanese instead. He was also employed at the Chōsen Shinpō, a Korean newspaper run by pro-North Korea
ethnic activist group Chongryon
, but afterwards separated himself from them, and 1969, having been awarded the Gunzou Prize for New Writers for Kinuta wo utsu onna, threw himself into the literary world. Kinuta wo utsu onna was notable at the time for its sporadic use of Korean words.
In 1970, he secretly visited South Korea
, and went again after winning the Akutagawa Prize
in 1972. At that time, he held North Korean nationality
. Afterwards, due to the problem of his nationality, he was refused a visa
several times by the South Korean government, and it would be until November 1995 before he was granted permission to enter again. However, in 1998, with the start of Kim Dae-jung's Sunshine Policy
, he was able to obtain South Korean citizenship. He was later criticised by fellow zainichi writer Gim Seok-beom (金石範) for his comments about the democratization of South Korea and his naturalization as a South Korean, over which the two had a vigorous debate in magazines.
On the problem of North Korean abductions of Japanese
, Lee has stated: "The confession of Kim Jong-il
, who apologised for his errors, should be accepted by Japanese people in the spirit of historical consciousness and the peace constitution
."
Zainichi Korean
Koreans in Japan are the ethnic Korean residents of Japan. They currently constitute the second largest ethnic minority group in Japan. The majority of Koreans in Japan are Zainichi Koreans, also often known as Zainichi for short, who are the permanent ethnic Korean residents of Japan...
novelist in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In 1972, he became the first ethnic Korean to win the Akutagawa Prize
Akutagawa Prize
The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
. Other representative works of his include Mihatenu Yume (見果てぬ夢; Unfulfilled Dream) and Hyakunenno tabibitotachi (百年の旅人たち; Travellers of a Hundred Years).
Biography
Lee was born in 1935 to KoreanKorean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
immigrant parents in Maoka, Karafuto Prefecture
Karafuto Prefecture
, commonly called South Sakhalin, was the Japanese administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on Sakhalin from 1905 to 1945. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth, the portion of Sakhalin south of 50°N became a colony of Japan in 1905...
(the southern half of modern-day Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
), and lived there until age 10. After the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
which ended World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Lee's family, having gotten mixed in with Japanese settlers, escaped from the advancing Soviet troops
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and got off of Karafuto. They went as far as the Ōmura detention camp, a processing center for migrants repatriating from former territories of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, but finding themselves unable to return to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
as they had planned, they settled down in Sapporo, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
. At that time, Lee's older sister had been left behind in Karafuto
Sakhalin Koreans
Sakhalin Koreans are Russian citizens and residents of Korean descent living on Sakhalin Island, who trace their roots to the immigrants from the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces of Korea during the late 1930s and early 1940s, the latter half of the Japanese colonial era...
; in his later works, he describes the traumatic impression this left on him. From Sapporo's West High School, Lee advanced to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
's Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
, where he studied literature. While there, he was active in exchange student activities. After graduation, he first aimed at creative work in Korean, but then decided to become active in Japanese instead. He was also employed at the Chōsen Shinpō, a Korean newspaper run by pro-North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
ethnic activist group Chongryon
Chongryon
The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan , abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chae Ilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe in Korean or Zai-Nihon Chōsenjin Sōrengōkai in Japanese), abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents...
, but afterwards separated himself from them, and 1969, having been awarded the Gunzou Prize for New Writers for Kinuta wo utsu onna, threw himself into the literary world. Kinuta wo utsu onna was notable at the time for its sporadic use of Korean words.
In 1970, he secretly visited South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and went again after winning the Akutagawa Prize
Akutagawa Prize
The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
in 1972. At that time, he held North Korean nationality
Nationality Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
The nationality law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea governs who is a citizen of the DPRK, and how one may gain or lose such citizenship.-History:Up until 1963, the DPRK had no formal nationality law...
. Afterwards, due to the problem of his nationality, he was refused a visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
several times by the South Korean government, and it would be until November 1995 before he was granted permission to enter again. However, in 1998, with the start of Kim Dae-jung's Sunshine Policy
Sunshine policy
The Sunshine Policy was the foreign policy of South Korea towards North Korea until Lee Myung-bak's election to presidency in 2008. Since its articulation in 1998 by South Korean President Kim Dae Jung, the policy resulted in greater political contact between the two nations and some historical...
, he was able to obtain South Korean citizenship. He was later criticised by fellow zainichi writer Gim Seok-beom (金石範) for his comments about the democratization of South Korea and his naturalization as a South Korean, over which the two had a vigorous debate in magazines.
On the problem of North Korean abductions of Japanese
North Korean abductions of Japanese
The abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government happened during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese are officially recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted, there may have been as many as 70 to 80...
, Lee has stated: "The confession of Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
, who apologised for his errors, should be accepted by Japanese people in the spirit of historical consciousness and the peace constitution
Constitution of Japan
The is the fundamental law of Japan. It was enacted on 3 May, 1947 as a new constitution for postwar Japan.-Outline:The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights...
."
Awards
- 1969: 12th Gunzou Prize for New Writers (群像新人文学賞) for Mata futatabino michi (またふたたびの道)
- 1972: 66th Akutagawa PrizeAkutagawa PrizeThe is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
for Kinutawo utsu onna (砧をうつ女) - 1994: Noma Prize for Literature for Hyakunenno tabibitotachi (百年の旅人たち)
Major works
Note: not official English titles, for informative purposes only- Kinutawo utsu onna (砧をうつ女)
- Watashino Saharin (私のサハリン; My Sakhalin)
- Kayakono tameni (伽倻子のために; For Kayako; made into a movie by 小栗康平 in 1984)
- Imujingawa wo mezasu toki (イムジン江をめざすとき; Eyes on the Imjin RiverImjin RiverThe Imjin River is a river of North and South Korea. It flows from North to South, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, very near the Yellow Sea.- History :...
) - Ryūminten (流民伝; Refugee Tales)
- Kanōsei toshiteno "Zainichi" (可能性としての「在日」; "Zainichi" as a possibility)
- Chijō seikatsusha (地上生活者; Living on land; third portion being serialized in Gunzou Magazine)