An Analysis of the Korean Massacre in the Great Kanto Earthquake in Korean Popular Culture-TV entertainment programs “People Beyond the Line”, “History Journal That Day”
Bae, Young-Mi
With the exception of two plays in the 1980s, Korean popular culture has only recently begun to deal with the massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake. The impetus for this is the movie <Anarchist from Colony(Park Yeol)>(2017), about the devastation of the Great Kanto Earthquake, the resistance of the Koreans against Imperial Japan and the Japanese who joined forces with it.
Since 2019, MBC, KBS, and SBS have all produced entertainment programs with the theme of the massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake or Park Yeol.
MBC dealt with this topic in the entertainment program <People Beyond the Line>, which is a fusion of travel, current affairs, and culture. The performers visited the Yotsugi Bridge on the Arakawa River(Tokyo, Japan), the scene of the "Kanto Massacre". They introduced the Memorial monument, which was established in 2009, explained the outline of the massacre of Koreans, and met with Japanese people who had been engaged in related activities for a long time, including the construction of the Memorial Stone, to express their gratitude. Despite the very short time of 18 minutes, it is highly appreciated, as a "travel to learn about history" program, that they visited the scene of the massacre and the most recent memorial monument, introduced the entire inscription and pointed out military intervention in the massacre. However, the Japaneset state's responsibility for the massacre was vaguely expressed as "assistance" and "complicity", and there is a lack of perspective on the victims and Korean residents in Japan, who have been conducting related research and activities because of the excessive emphasis on "conscientious Japanese". Finding out Japan's national responsibility and questioning "who" should be remembered through this history will be central to us remembering and succession of this history, now that we are approaching the 100th anniversary.
KBS has dealt with 'History Journal, That Day', which has been running for about 10 years as an 'infotainment program' and 'history talk show'. In this program, the existence and role of Korean residents in Japan were introduced through actor, director(introduction of works), professor(interview), and the appearance of a historian who has studied this topic for a long time has increased the professionalism of this program. It is characterized by explaining the background and transition of the massacre of Koreans in the Great Kanto Earthquake, criticizing not only Japanese society and the government, but also the Korean government and the Koreans themselves, who were unaware of this history, and emphasizing the universal value of solidarity and human rights. However, it should be pointed out that the image of "Bulleong Seonin(不逞鮮人)" containing the boundaries of the independence movement and prejudice and contempt for the Korean people was spreading in Japanese society against the background of scaremongering and massacre. And it should have been dealt with that Koreans at home and abroad, including the Provisional Government of Republic of Korea, protested the massacre in various ways.
Both programs contained fairly balanced and high-quality content, including no distortions or errors to point out, clarifying the responsibilities of the governments of both Japan and South Korea, and conveying the efforts of Korean residents in Japan and Japanese citizens through memorial monuments. Therefore, the matters pointed out in this article may be excessive for broadcasting programs that is required to be entertaining as an entertainment program. Also, historians may be able to convey richer and more detailed information than the broadcast contents that went through the editing process through advice, supervision, and appearances. In spite of this, the above "criticism" and supplementation were demanded because of the status and importance of popular culture in the formation and development of a society's historical awareness, and the academic community's responsibility to guarantee and drive expertise. Today, historians are required to study remaining issues and develop "practical historiography in the 21st century" that communicates with the history of the masses. We must overcome historical distortions and indifference, form a “solidarity of memory” between Koreans in Japan, minorities in Japan, and China, and build a foundation on which we can all talk about human rights and reconciliation in East Asia.