The Problematic Past and Difficult Heritage: The Japanese Colonial Occupation of Korea and Its Architectural Legacies

Abstract

Within the discipline of Heritage Studies, Lee investigates the relationship between difficult heritage and national identity formation, focusing on the problematic past of the Japanese colonial occupation of Korea and its architectural legacies. In this chapter, Lee provides an overview of the historic relationship between Korea and Japan, paying attention to the Japanese colonial occupation of Korea and its resulting colonial legacies. She situates the study within the relevant timeline, and introduces the key features of the three case studies to be examined: the cases of Seodaemun Prison, the Japanese Government-General Building, Dongdaemun Stadium. Through these case studies, Lee reflects on the relationship between difficult heritage and national identity formation, outlining her conclusion that the concept of collective memory is the key to connecting the ideas of national identity formation and difficult heritage.