“Joseon, Mythologized,” a book that explores how the past of the Joseon Dynasty has been reconstructed in the Korean psyche after liberation, has been published.

Author Jeong Kwang-je states, “August 15th Liberation Day is often depicted as a moment of joy when the Korean people were freed from Japanese oppression, but it also served as an occasion where the structural limitations of Joseon could no longer be concealed.”

“Joseon was a society that rarely engaged in self-reflection for a long time. The dynasty emphasized legitimacy and justification, but these justifications were not used to strengthen actual governing capabilities. The political structure became entrenched around factions and powerful families, and it was believed that social problems could be resolved through moral reasoning.” (Page 27)

The author explains that Joseon failed to transition into a modern nation, losing the impetus for change in its institutions, economy, and politics, and thus faced rapid changes in the international order. In other words, liberation was not an event that overcame these failures, but rather a starting point for confronting them directly.

The author emphasizes that immediately after liberation, Korean society lacked the psychological and institutional space to calmly analyze Joseon's failures. Amidst division, war, and the pressure of survival, what the community needed was not explanation and analysis, but emotional stability and the restoration of self-esteem.

Historical psychology is an approach that analyzes not the events of the past themselves, but how those events are remembered, interpreted, and solidified into meaning within a community.

A depiction of Joseon Dynasty's 'Jongno' drawn by artist Hyechon Kim Hak-su (1919-2009). [Hyechon Teacher Memorial Hall]

Rather than reorganizing the history of Joseon, “Joseon, Mythologized” explores how the past of Joseon was reconstructed in the Korean psyche after liberation and the path through which that reconstruction became a solidified myth.

This is why the book should be classified not as a general history book, but as a historical psychological commentary analyzing the structure of memory and interpretation surrounding Joseon.

Author Jeong Kwang-je is a researcher of the philosophy of history and formerly served as an executive director of the Rhee Syngman Academy. He currently works as a senior researcher at the Society for Korean Modern and Contemporary History Research and as the representative of the philosophy forum Lyceum. He also publishes columns under the pen name Matsuyama in the Hankook Ilbo. He co-translated the memoirs of British veterans of the Korean War, “Heroes of Hook Ridge,” and has published four collections of poetry as a poet.

By Reporter Im Yo-hee