Lee Oh-deok’s Discourse on ‘Working Children’: Focusing on The ‘Two Paradigm Shifts’ of 1974 and 1998

The purpose of this study was to examine the literary-historical position of Lee Oh-deok’s critical discourse in Korean children’s literature, focusing on two paradigm shifts. The study analyzed Lee Oh-deok’s criticism in the mid-to-late 1970s and the late 1990s through textual analysis, situating it within broader literary-historical developments and social contexts. This research assumed that Lee Oh-deok’s criticism stands at the turning points of two paradigms. In the first transition, his criticism functioned as a creative alternative to the existing paradigm. In the second, it faced direct challenges from a new wave of critics, including Kim Yi-gu. By analyzing these paradigm shifts, this study clarified the characteristics and significance of Lee Oh-deok’s criticism, highlights his position and influence within the history of Korean children’s literature, and reconsiders the meaning and status of his criticism in contemporary children’s literature studies. It also suggests that the reinterpretation of Lee Oh-deok’s criticism can serve as an important starting point for establishing new research directions in contemporary children’s literature.