Engineers of the Human Soul: North Korean Literature Today

Abstract

Abstract: In commemoration of this journal’s fiftieth volume, we are reprinting the literary scholar Marshall R. Pihl’s 1977 article from volume one. Pihl (1933–1995), a Korean War veteran, was the very first Fulbright researcher in South Korea (by the way, he was not of Korean ethnicity). Pihl taught at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa from 1989 until his untimely death in 1995. “Engineers of the Human Soul” is a pioneering article on North Korea’s literary scene. Pihl draws a connection between North Korean writers and the writers of early twentieth century, both imbued with a social purpose of remaking the public. The appendix to the article was a full translation of the North Korean short story “The Son” by the respected writer Kim Puk-hyang, first published in 1971. The inclusion of the North Korean short story is also an indication of the journal’s effort to do what was difficult in South Korea at the time due to the National Security Law.