A Blatant Lie: The North Korean myth of Kim Il-sung liberating the country from Japan
- 한국학술연구원
- Korea Observer
- Vol 49, No 2
-
2018.06219 - 238 (20 pages)
- 143
This article deals with one of the central historical constructs of North Korean official historiography: the myth of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army. North Korea claims that this army, led by the first ruler of North Korea Kim Il-sung, defeated the Imperial Japan. This claim is duly reflected in North Korean official publications and is taught to its citizens. The author examines origins, evolution and implications of this historical myth.
I. The Soviet-Japanese War and the Rise of Kim Il-sung
II. The Falsification
III. A Note on Sources
IV. Stage One: from “Anti-Japanese Partisan Unit” to the “KPRA”
V. Stage Two: the KPRA as the Red Army’s Assistant Force
VI. Stage Three: the KPRA as the Liberator of Korea
VII. Stage Four: Kim Il-sung as the Mentor of the Red Army
VIII. The Soviet Reaction
IX. The Underdevelopment of the Myth
X. Conclusion: The Evolution of the KPRA Myth in the North Korean Ideology
XI. Historiographical Implications.
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