Perspectives on Colonial Korea and the ‘Japan-Korea Integration Policy’ During the Wartime Period：Focusing on Korean and Japanese Novels in Kokumin-Bungaku

This paper examines the perspectives of Korean and Japanese intellectuals who resided in colonial Korea during the wartime period regarding the ‘Japan-Korea integration policy’ based on Japanese-Korean unity ideology. The analysis is based on a comparison of serialised novels by Korean and Japanese authors published in the Japanese literary magazine, Kokumin Bungaku.In The Chapter of Azami by the Korean author Hyo-Seok Lee, the narrative unveils the ‘Japan-Korea integration policy’ as a mechanism that conceals the cultural and other differences between Koreans and Japanese. And Nangoku Sensei by the Korean author Jin-oh Yu, argues that the preservation of Korean traditional culture is essential to overcoming modernity. These two literary works seem to contemplate the path to true nationhood based on the premise of the differences between Korea and Japan.The Chosen One by the Japanese author Yusaku Shioiri, a Japanese work, promotes another perspective, positing the idea that through the sublime sacrifice of the Korean people, their descendants can enjoy true nationhood, in this way encouraging Korean participation in wartime co-operation. However, it emphasizes that only those Koreans who are resolved to die if necessary can attain the identity of ‘Japanese’. In another Japanese text, Climbing by the Japanese author Jujo Obi, both Koreans and Japanese are advised to strive for an ideal nationhood as a form of ‘Grand Autre’. These two Japanese works advance the idea that through the fulfillment of their duty to collaborate with Japan during the war, Koreans can actualize a ‘Japan-Korea integration policy’ and bring about greater rights for future Korean generations.In conclusion, the differences in the literary works of Korean and Japanese authors featured in the magazine do not arise from varying perspectives on the feasibility of the ‘Japan-Korea integration policy’. Instead, they originate from distinct views on whether elements of Korean identity are necessary in order for ideal nationhood to be achieved.