UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Previously Published Works Title Parameters of disavowal: Colonial representation in South Korean cinema Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2v888503 ISBN 9780520295308 Author An, J Publication Date 2018 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California AN | PARAMETERS OF DISAVOWAL Luminos is the Open Access monograph publishing program from UC Press. Luminos provides a framework for preserving and rein- vigorating monograph publishing for the future and increases the reach and visibility of important scholarly work. Titles published in the UC Press Luminos model are published with the same high standards for selection, peer review, production, and marketing as those in our traditional program. www.luminosoa.org The publisher and the University of California Press Foundation gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Philip E. Lilienthal Imprint in Asian Studies, established by a major gift from Sally Lilienthal. Parameters of Disavowal GLOBAL KOREA Series Editor: John Lie (University of California, Berkeley) Editorial Board: Eun-Su Cho (Seoul National University), Hyaeweol Choi (Australian National University), Theodore Hughes (Columbia University), Eun-jeung Lee (Free University of Berlin), Laura Nelson (University of California, Berkeley), Andre Schmid (University of Toronto), Jun Yoo (Yonsei University) 1. Jinsoo An, Parameters of Disavowal: Colonial Representation in South Korean Cinema Parameters of Disavowal Colonial Representation in South Korean Cinema Jinsoo An UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Oakland, California © 2018 by Jinsoo An Suggested citation: An, J. Parameters of Disavowal: Colonial Representation in South Korean Cinema. Oakland: University of California Press, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.51 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: An, Jinsoo, 1968– author. Title: Parameters of disavowal : colonial representation in South Korean cinema / Jinsoo An. Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2018] | Series: Global Korea ; 1 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018002008 (print) | LCCN 2018004386 (ebook) | ISBN 9780520968103 (Pub) | ISBN 9780520295308 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Motion pictures—Korea (South)—History—20th century. | Imperialism in motion pictures—20th century. | Nationalism in motion pictures—20th century. Classification: LCC PN1993.5.K6 (ebook) | LCC PN1993.5.K6 A74 2018 (print) | DDC 791.430951/95—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018002008 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents List of Illustrations vi Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 1. Under the Banner of Nationalism: The Changing Imagery of Anticolonial Leadership 14 2. Film and the Waesaek (“Japanese Color”) Controversies of the 1960s 35 3. The Manchurian Action Film: A New Anticolonial Imaginary in the Cold War Context 52 4. In the Colonial Zone of Contact: Kisaeng and Gangster Films 76 5. Horror and Revenge: Return of the Repressed Colonial Violence 107 Coda: After 2000 125 Notes 133 Bibliography 165 Index 173 Illustrations 1. Tani stands against the backdrop of the Government-General Building in The Genealogy 2 2. Hanjung and Korean leaders discuss political struggle in Hurrah! For Freedom 20 3. Rhee delivers his speech to an audience in Independence Association 31 4. Poster for Daughter of the Governor General 47 5. Han carries the body of Chisŏk in Continent on Fire 64 6. Three protagonists in Break the Chain 74 7. The female protagonist, Kang, rescued by Chang on a street at night in Kang Myŏnghwa 85 8. The Japanese gangsters’ surprise attack on Na’s funeral in A True Story of Kim Tuhan 104 9. Nanhŭi exacts her vengeance against Park in Yeraishang 115 10. Chŏngnam’s perverse fantasy of interethnic romance is fulfilled in Epitaph 120 11. Showdown of wizards and the artificial movie set in The Taoist Wizard 126 12. The advent of spectator sport in YMCA Baseball Team 130 vi Acknowledgments I have been very fortunate and blessed to receive tremendous help and support from many people and institutions throughout my writing of this book. I express my deepest gratitude to my mentors Nick Browne, John Duncan, Marilyn Fabe, Elaine Kim, Soyoung Kim, and John Lie for their inspiration, intellectual encour- agement, and professional advice over the years. I am also profoundly indebted to the inspiring teachings of the late professors Teshome Gabriel and Nancy Abelmann. I extend equal gratitude to my colleagues at the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures of the University of California, Berkeley, who have welcomed me and offered me thorough support and guidance. I am deeply indebted to the generosity of Robert Ashmore, Weihong Bao, Mark Blum, Mark Csikszentmihalyi, Jacob Dalton, Yoko Hasegawa, H. Mack Horton, Andrew F. Jones, Youngmin Kwon, Ling Hon Lam, Dan O’Neill, Robert Sharf, Alan Tansman, Paula Varsano, and Sophie Volpp. I was also fortunate to have joined a welcoming community of colleagues at UC Berkeley. Russell Ahn, Jaeyong Chang, Jack Davey, Stephanie Kim, Hong Yung Lee, Steven Lee, Taeku Lee, Hannah Michell, Laura C. Nelson, Kyung-nyun Kim Richards, and Clare You taught me the value of teaching, service, and collabora- tion. I also value deeply the friendship and camaraderie I have developed with Seung-eun Chang, Minsook Kim, Kijoo Ko, Meehyei Lee, Soojin Lee, and Junghee Park over the years. Many people in various fields have inspired me with their distinguished work and shaped me into a better thinker. I am especially indebted to Andrea G. Arai, Moonim Baek, Chris Berry, Heekyoung Cho, Michelle Cho, Steve Choe, Youngmin vii viii Acknowledgments Choe, Jinhee Choi, Kyeong-Hee Choi, Hye Seung Chung, Steven Chung, David Scott Diffrient, Henry Em, Chris Hanscom, Todd Henry, Theodore Hughes, Kelly Jeong, Kyoung Lae Kang, Christina Klein, Immanuel Kim, Jina Kim, Kyu Hyun Kim, Kyung Hyun Kim, SohYoun Kim, Su Yun Kim, Nayoung Aimee Kwon, Helen J. S. Lee, Lee Jeong-ha, Jin-kyung Lee, Namhee Lee, Sangjoon Lee, Robert Oppenheim, Hyun Seon Park, Sunyoung Park, Young-a Park, Janet Poole, Youngju Ryu, Jiwon Shin, Josie Sohn, Clark W. Sorenson, Travis Workman, Hyun Joo Yoo, Theodore Jun Yoo, Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, and Dafna Zur. I have been extremely fortunate to develop a close friendship with the colleagues I met in the spring of 2008 as a visiting professor at UC Berkeley. Christine Ahn, Christine Hong, Jodi Kim, Deann Borshay Liem, and Paul Liem taught me the virtue of socially com- mitted scholarship. Their intellectual integrity taught me to think critically about issues surrounding Korean society and culture. I have been privileged to receive abundant support and encouragement from my colleagues in Korea while conducting research for this book. I owe special thanks to Cho Sung-taek, Choe Yong-chul, Choi Seung-youn, Hara Yusuke, Jung Byungwook, Kong Young-min, Kwon Bodurae, Lee Bong-Bum, Lee Hwajin, Lee Seung-Hee, Lee Sun Mi, Park Heon-Ho, Park Yu-hee, and Yi Youngjae. I look forward to many more years of scholarly exchange and collaboration with them. Research into obscure films on the colonial past was made possible by the profes- sional support of the Korean Film Archive. Cho Junhyoung, Chung Chong-hwa, and Oh Sungji have helped me with their deep knowledge of Korean film history and their archivist prowess. I am honored to have also received the generous support of the Townsend Center Fellowship, the Humanities Research Fellowship, and TUSA grants at the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley, which enabled me to carry out the extended research for the book. The Visiting Scholar Program at the Research Institute of Korean Studies of Korea University offered me the most productive environment for research and writing. I am also grateful for financial support from Yonsei University’s Future-Leading Research Initiative of 2015 (2016–22–0118). Grateful acknowledgment is given to the following publications for segments of this book that were published in different versions:China Review 10, no. 2 (2010) for “The Ambivalence of the Nationalist Struggle in Deterritorialized Space: The Case of South Korea’s Manchurian Action Film,” and positions 23, no. 4 (2015) for “War as Business in South Korea’s Manchurian Action Films.” I wish to thank Vicki Austin for her editorial work in the early stages of this manuscript, and Kathy Ragsdale for her close editorial supervision. I am also grateful to the anonymous reviewers who offered astute comments and construc- tive feedback for the revision process. I would also like to thank my extended family in California and Seoul for their many years of support and love. I want to express my gratitude to my in-laws in Seoul, who made my research stay in Korea all the more accommodating and Acknowledgments ix enjoyable. In particular, I want to thank my father-in-law Lee Yongwoo and my late mother-in-law Kim Chunghee for their indefatigable support. My brother Kenneth An showed me the most enthusiastic support and help for this project. My dear parents Seung Kyun An and Kae Soon An have sustained me with their unwavering love and faith. I would also like to convey my gratitude to my aunt Son Sun Inouye and my cousin Ginger and her family for heartwarming support. Finally, I remain profoundly grateful to my wife Lee Soonjin, who has sustained me with her remarkable patience and love. Korean names and terms have been transliterated according to the McCune- Reischauer Romanization system, except for words and names that are more com- monly known by other accepted spellings.