Chairman
"Jo Myong Hui, Song Yong, Ri Ki Yong, Han Sol Ya, Ryu Wan Hui, Kim Chang Sul, Pak Se Yong, Pak Phal Yang and many other writers of the KAPF supported Marxism and aspired after the liberation of the proletariat. The works they produced in the years after 1927 were mainly socialistic in their contents."
Before Korea's liberation, writers of the KAPF created progressive literary works representing the idea on emancipation of proletarians. Playwright Kim Yong Phal was also one of them.
This paper is to clarify the general characteristics of his works before liberation.
Kim Yong Phal created different genres of work before liberation. They included dramas such as "Maddening Girl" (1924), "Fight" (1926), "Fire!" (1926), "News of Mother's Death" (1927), "Woman" (1927), "Story of a Stage Director" (1927), "Office Girl" (1928), "Father and Daughter" (1928), "Flaying Knife" (1929), "Three Family Members" (1930), "Mah-jongg" (1931), "Laughing Husband and Crying Wife" (1931) and "Student Later" (1931), novels such as "A Spectacle" (1927), "Black Hand" (1927), "Altar" (1927), "Farewell Party" (1929) and "Madame Modern" (1930), and essays like "Part of Impressions on Ten-Year Factory Career" (1927), "Leaving Group" (1929), "Endless Essay" (1929) and "Time of Literature and Art Maniac" (1929).
The characteristic of his literary creation is, first of all, strong representation of the national consciousness and class consciousness.
Harsh criticism of the Japanese imperialists, exploiting classes and exploitative society and embodiment of national spirit are the main idea and soul consistent in the literary works of various genres written by Kim Yong Phal.
Of course, the works created by other progressive writers reflected criticism of the Japanese imperialism, exploiting classes and exploitative society and national spirit in one way or another.
But Kim Yong Phal's works were run through with the bitterer criticism and firmer national spirit than others.
The strong criticism of the reality under the Japanese imperialist colonial rule and national spirit are clearly shown by the selection and portrayal of characters in his works.
His works show the miserable life of those at the lowest stratum of the Japanese imperialist colonial society.
Among different classes and strata under exploitation and oppression in those days, Kim Yong Phal represented the miserable and tearful life of such lumpens as the unemployed worker in the drama "Three Family Members", beggar in the novel "Altar", butcher in the drama "Flaying Knife", orphan in the drama "Woman" and miserable hard-working workers in the novels "Black Hand" and "Farewell Party", strongly denouncing the Japanese imperialists, exploiting classes and exploitative society against the working masses.
The short novel "Altar" mainly tells the story of an elderly man who gets ill after the death of his wife because of an epidemic disease, sells everything he has and lies here and begs for money and food to the passers-by and the attitude of those under the same situation toward him.
People strongly criticize the reality under the Japanese imperialist colonial rule to see the beggars and the disabled who have no house and protection, but only wait for the day to die and a miserable woman who goes mad after losing her husband by the enemy.
The strong criticism of the Japanese imperialist colonial rule and national spirit reflected by his works are clearly shown by the active use of dialogues which vividly reveal the burning hatred for and resistance to the Japanese imperialists and the exploiting classes kept in the hearts of the Korean people.
The drama "Flaying Knife" sets a scene where butchers sit together and complain of their ill fate and shows well the class situation of the butchers in the exploitative society and their grudge and resentment through their dialogues.
Jok Chol: … …
We are the same human beings, but cannot live where they live nor wear what they wear as we please. Not only that.
We are not allowed to wear the traditional overcoat and hat.
We are prohibited from riding a horse and palanquin when we get married and from wearing mourners' dress, hat and band for the funeral.
The butcher was the humblest job in the exploitative society and the butchers were treated as being something subhuman.
The short dialogue above reflects the miserable class status of butchers who were subjected to the subhuman maltreatment for hundreds of years.
Jok Chol: … …
As we are human beings, we must live like humans.
The way to do so is to firmly unite our minds, isn't it?
Several: That's right!
Chun San: (with a clenched fist) Quite right!
Jok Chol: In any case, we mustn't fear the noblemen in order to get rid of the power-backed maltreatment. We mustn't fear the fire. You must promise not to fear the water and fire. We mustn't be timid until we become true men.
Those dialogues indicate the way for the butchers to live as human beings.
Clearly explaining the miserable life of the butchers and its reason and way out, the dialogues show their hatred for and indignation at the ruling classes who maltreat and even kill them and their firm resolution to put an end to the history of disgrace.
In the drama "Three Family Members", a character goes to a doctor because of his son and, indignant at the doctor who examines the patient's purse first, says "such a devil must be tied up like herrings and thrown into the river." A beggar says "Pshaw! I am not surprised that you say you are handsome. You are looking down on me, aren't you? But when opportunity comes to me…" Those dialogues represent the strong resistance to the Japanese imperialist colonial rule and the exploiting and ruling classes.
Criticism of reality in Kim Yong Phal's dramas is combined with national consciousness.
For example, the drama "Fight" deals with the conflict between the husband who is worker and his wife who is modern woman who graduated from school.
The title of the drama is "Fight" and the content is the clash between husband and wife and the final part describes the husband leaving home for a new fight to save such silly persons as his wife.
At a cursory glance, it seems to be a husband-and-wife fight in a family, but it represents the "fight" instructing the Korean people subject to the national contempt and insult, the oppressed working masses under harsh exploitation, to struggle with class and national consciousness.
The drama bitterly criticizes those people attracted by the bourgeois vanity and wealth without awareness of their national and class status and the Japanese imperialist colonial rule encouraging such persons.
It is proved by the emphasis of the miserable life of the Korean people and that of "Korea" like the "people of Korea" and by the denunciation of the traitors flattering to the Japanese imperialists.
Hak Su's criticism of his wife is not mere criticism of silly proletarians dreaming of bourgeois vanity and wealth.
The writer was not content with it, but sublimated the content of the drama to the emphasis of consciousness the Korean nation who was disgracefully deprived of the country by the aggressors and had to live under national contempt and sufferings.
Who has courage to scorn the "Korean people"? Needless to say, they are the Japanese imperialist aggressors and their stooges, i.e. pro-Japanese elements and national traitors.
The drama reflects national indignation at and denunciation of them.
The strong national consciousness is also felt in the dialogue that the insult of the Korean people, the Korean nation is greater and more vexatious than the disgrace of an individual.
The same is found in the drama "Woman."
Kyong Wan tells his younger sister Kyong Suk as follows;
"You learn a lot. As I always tell you, learn as much as you can and ring an alarm of literacy campaign to the illiterate women in Korea. It is your duty." The dialogue emphasizes "Korea" and makes the readers conscious of being the Korean nation deprived of the country by the aggressors and calls for emancipating the Korean women from all sorts of discrimination and absence of rights.
Another characteristic of Kim Yong Phal's literary creation is the characterization of resistant fighting against the Japanese imperialist colonial ruling system.
The positive hero created by him is characterized by strong fighting spirit.
The hero of "Fight" bitterly criticizes the bourgeois ideological point of view of his wife and breaks with her and leaves home for a bigger fight with the society, whereas the hero of "News of Mother's Death" devotes his all to the struggle to change the society.
In the drama "News of Mother's Death", the writer stresses the class consciousness of a worker who submits individual interests to those of the class in the dramatic situation related to the individual issue.
Hero of the drama worker Jon Kyong Su must hurry off to the north for struggle.
But his mind is complicated because of his sick mother and his girlfriend.
At that time, he hears the sad news of his mother's death.
He is about to go home, but conscious of his class mission, resolutely heads for the north, seen off by his sister Suk Ja and his girlfriend Jong Suk.
In those years under the fascist tyranny of the Japanese imperialists, the progressive writers symbolically described the struggle for the national and class emancipation as the "north."
It is significant that hero Jon Kyong Su sets out on the road struggle though he hears the news of his mother's death.
It is an innovative portrayal of a man who thinks of the interests of an individual before those of the class and submits the former to the latter, which was difficult to find in those days.
Of course, the hero of the "News of Mother's Death" cannot be regarded as a revolutionary. But it is significant that Kim Yong Phal intended to describe a figure in the struggle to liberate the proletarians who submits the personal and family affairs to the interests of the class and the interests of the organization.
The hero of the drama "Three Family Members" is also possessed of the fierce fighting spirit, representing the positive hero created by the dramatic literature before liberation of Korea.
What is noteworthy in his portrayal is the truthful description of the character of the working class in the struggle from different aspects.
He is the man fighting at the head of the struggle of the working class against the exploitation of the capitalist class. He is dismissed and unemployed for leading the workers' strike against the exploitation of the owner of the factory, but remains faithful to his principles.
His fighting spirit is proved well by the part where he, enraged at the doctor's examination of the patient's purse before his sick son, slaps the doctor on the cheek and by the part where he behaves proudly and confidently when he is walked off by detectives.
When the detectives rush in his home and walk him off, his wife says "Heaven forbid!" in her bewilderment. He talks to his wife; "Nonsense to a fighter…"
Thaek Su regards himself as a "fighter" who has turned out in the struggle against the Japanese imperialists and the exploiting class.
He is also described as a warm-hearted man.
Whenever his comrade and friend Ri In Hwan comes to his home, he arranges meals for him, though he was poor.
Another feature of Jong Thaek Su's character is optimism without pessimism in the hard life and arduous struggle.
He does not lose his heart in the urgent situation where there is no rice to eat or money for his son's schooling and medical treatment.
Even when he is walked off by the detectives, he acts proudly.
"Everything he sees is dissatisfactory" and "everything he hears makes him clench his fist."
"Outside, he says this and that loudly and is taken to the police and severely beaten, but back home, he feels painful to see his wife and son not eating properly in the cold room."
But he overcomes his mental agonies and pains.
The drama is of significance for its many-sided portrayal of a worker who turns out in the struggle with firm confidence in the new society where the proletarians live happily.
Another characteristic of Kim Yong Phal's literary creation is that social points are raised and solved in the prevailing status of life.
His works mainly deal with family affairs, in which he raises the serious socio-political points.
The drama "Fight" shows the husband-and-wife conflict in a worker's family and the drama "News of Mother's Death" also represents the internal family issue concerning mother's death.
The dramas "Woman", "Three Family Members" and "Mah-jongg" also reflect the class struggle through family life.
The drama "Mah-jongg" criticizes a depraved man who spends time, playing mah-jongg and drinking liquour.
When he gets married, Ryom Su Gun has some sense of duty to the society and family.
But he gradually changes and idles his time away with drinking and mah-jongg.
He does not look after his family and becomes completely ignorant of the development of society.
Ryom Su Gun, who lost hope for the future and lived in despair, reflects on and repent of himself at the criticism and persuasion of his wife Yong Suk.
Yong Suk clarifies her resolute stand; if you were as before, you would not play the degenerate game mah-jongg and idle your time away. Mah-jongg is as bad as poisoning by morphine. If you do reactionary acts, I cannot but forget you.
Eventually, the husband repents of himself at the criticism and persuasion of his wife and firmly grasps her hand as a token of starting with a clean slate.
As seen above, the work shows a family issue in which the wife criticizes and weans her husband from wallowing in mah-jongg and drinking.
The portrayal of Ryom Su Gun represents the then reality where many people lost hope for the future and wasted time idly in despair under the cruel oppression of the Japanese imperialists.
Criticizing the reality, the drama strongly emphasizes the following; "Let us live fundamentally and vigorously. Let us live all together. We should not become a straggler. We should not get disappointed at any work. It is our aim to burn down all desperation and bravely struggle for only one goal."
As said above, the dealing with the serious socio-political points in real life is one of the characteristics of Kim Yong Phal's works.
Another characteristic of his literary creation is simple composition and creation of mobile forms.
The composition of his works is not complicated. It is same with his dramas and novels.
The plot is simple and human relations and dramatic conflict are not complicated.
The plot of the drama "Fight" is a quarrel between the husband and wife concerning the selling of liquor in a worker's family.
The main characters are husband Hak Su and wife Kyong Ae, and walk-ons are Kyong Ae's mother and her friend Jong Ae.
The dramatic conflict is also set between the husband and wife.
But such small plot and simple human relations and dramatic conflict are intensified into a serious socio-political issue.
Saying "those with different ideas and doctrines cannot live together", husband Hak Su leaves home for a fight to "save such silly persons" as Kyong Ae.
Kim Yong Phal created works of mobile forms.
All of his dramas consist of only one act and his novels are storiettes.
His essays are also short.
But the idea of his works is clear and easily understood.
As mentioned above, playwright Kim Yong Phal, through his creative activities before Korea's liberation, incited sharp criticism of and resistance to the Japanese imperialist colonial rule and fighting consciousness and thus contributed to encouraging the Korean people to live stoutly with a firm confidence in national liberation and to creating and developing the dramatic literature.
