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Kim So Wol (1902-1934), widely known for his beautiful yet sorrowful verses in his poems including “Azalea,” has been long beloved by his readers. In this Special Report, Dr. Yee Jisun, Associate Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, dives deep into how the poet’s works have been received and interpreted in North and South Korea upon the division of the Korean Peninsula. Dr. Yee states that while Kim So Wol’s works have been consistently studied and critically acclaimed in South Korea, his works failed to receive the same recognition in North Korea. North Korea repetitively deleted and resurfaced the poet’s works in the process of establishing its own literary tradition. Literary circles of the two Koreas have clearly different experiences, expectations, and categories of evaluation, which have been guided by contrasting ideologies. Nonetheless, the shift in North Korean critics’ acceptance of Kim So Wol’s works is reflective of the ability for literary interpretations of the South and North to influence each other and stimulate dialogue.
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