CANKO SOCIETY FOR AI AND SOCIAL VALUE

Abstract

This study examines the ideological genealogy of Marxism in Korea, tracing its reception and transformation from the founding of the Joseon Communist Party in 1925 to the student movements of the post-1990s era. It particularly focuses on how Marxist and socialist ideas, which initially entered Korea through anti-colonial resistance and international revolutionary networks, evolved through the colonial, Cold War, and democratization periods, eventually becoming entangled in the politically charged discourse surrounding so-called “pro-North Korea” (종북) affiliations in the South Korean political landscape. The research begins by contextualizing the early 20th-century emergence of Marxist thought within Korea’s anti-imperialist and nationalist movements. It analyzes the ideological content of the Joseon Communist Party and explores how its intellectual legacy persisted—albeit suppressed—throughout the post-liberation era, including the intense ideological bifurcation of the Korean Peninsula. In particular, the study highlights how state repression, national division, and the institutionalization of anti-communism under the National Security Law shaped the reception of leftist ideas in the South. Special attention is paid to the 1980s and 1990s university student movements, especially the emergence of the National Liberation (NL) and People’s Democracy (PD) factions. These groups, influenced by both global leftist theory and the unique conditions of Korea’s divided system, often found themselves accused of sympathizing with or emulating the North Korean regime. The research investigates how these ideological tendencies were framed—sometimes fairly, often politically—as “pro-North Korea,” and how such framing functioned as a tool of both state control and public discourse formation during and after democratization. Methodologically, this study combines historical analysis, ideological discourse analysis, and archival research. It draws upon primary sources such as manifestos, internal movement documents, government security reports, and trial records, alongside secondary literature in Korean intellectual history and political sociology. The analysis also incorporates comparative elements by juxtaposing South Korea’s ideological trajectory with global post-Cold War leftist movements. This research is significant in that it seeks to demystify and de-politicize the term “pro-North Korea” by uncovering its historical roots and discursive construction. Rather than treating “종북” as a fixed ideological category, the study examines how it has functioned as a symbolic device—one that both reflects and distorts the history of Marxism in South Korea. Ultimately, the paper contributes to a more nuanced understanding of Korean political thought, leftist legacies, and the contested memory of ideological dissent. Through this ideological history, the study also opens space for a critical reappraisal of South Korea’s democratic trajectory, particularly the limits of political pluralism and the long shadows cast by Cold War ideology. By connecting early revolutionary thought with contemporary ideological conflict, this research provides a comprehensive narrative of how Marxism has shaped—and been shaped by—the Korean experience over the past century.

Authors

• AI (First Author), Machine – ai.social.value@gmail.com