이극로의 북한 행적과 『이극로 전집』의 과제 = Yi Geugno’s Actions in North Korea and the Task of The Complete Works of Yi Geugno

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

After liberation from Japanese imperialism, Korean Language Study Society Representative, Yi, Geugno (Kolu Li, 1893~1978) organized the Chosun KUNMIN-HOI (Strong People’s Society) and leapt into the political world. In 1948, he attended South-North Joint conference (joint conference with representatives of Korean political parties and social organizations in North and South Korea), and stayed behind Pyongyang in North Korea. Afterward, until his death in 1978, he contributed to solidifying and developing the foundation of Korean language studies in North Korea.
However, the history of Yi, Geugno’s contribution to the establishment of the North Korean regime and serving as the vanguard of propaganda against South Korea was not well known in the Koreas. Yi, Geugno earned the trust of Kim Il-sung. As a Minister without Portfolio in the first cabinet of North Korea, he went from strength to strength and continued to speak for anti-Americanism and against Syngman Rhee.
During the Korean War, he took the lead in anti-American propaganda, and during the military regime in South Korea, he continued to speak for anti-Americanism and against Park Chung-hee.
Yi, Geugno’s study of and contributions to the national language are recognized by both South and North Korea. However, his political actions, which were focused on adhering to and promoting Kim Il-sung’s ideas and revolutionary work, may be reevaluated in South Korea, and his commemorative project is expected to be experience difficulty due to his remarks in praise of the North Korean regime.
In this paper, a general table of contents that supplements the articles confirmed after the publication of the The Complete Works of Yi Geugno (all 4 volumes) in 2019 is included in the appendix.