Korean Intellectuals’ Perception of Baekdusan and the Historical Significance Thereof : Focusing on Travelogues Produced during the 1920s and 1930s

Abstract

This study explores the theme-based significance of seven travelogues of Baekdusan written in the 1920s and 1939s by Korean intellectuals, ranging from Min Taewon’s Baekdusan haeng compiled in 1921 to Yi Sangho’s Baekdusan haeng in 1936. These travelogues of Baekdusan are based on a search for the national identity of Korea but they each have their own characteristics. They mainly have two perspectives. One is related to the criticism of the reality of colonial destruction in Korea which was justified under the name of modernization by the Japanese. Through this perspective, authors often paid attention to the draw of Gando (Jiandao), an area that had been lost because of Japanese coercion. The other is about searching for the national identity of Korea by reminiscing about Korean myths while visiting Baekdusan, which is a relatively subjective perspective. As in the case of Choe Namseon’s work, Baekdusan is regarded as the space from which the nation originated via a focus on the relics of Dangun, the individual widely regarded as the founder of the Korean nation.