THE WAR WITHIN: MOTIVATIONS FOR WRITING DURING THE KOREAN WAR (1950-1953)

Already before the outbreak of the Korean War, a narrowly defined anti-communist paradigm had been created within South Korean society, mainly due to the numerous popular uprisings it had to cope with within its own borders. Many people within society were seen with suspicion. The dramatic shifts in the frontline during the early months of the war brought extra jeopardy, particularly for the population of Seoul who remained under communist rule for three months Many writers who had not been able to flee were accused of pm-communist activities and had to fear reprisals when the South Korean army returned. One way to escape punishment and to shift suspicion away from oneself was to make it clear that you were an anti-communist through one's writings, or by joining one of the government funded war writers organisations. Considering the volatile anti-communist atmosphere in South Korean society and the developments early on in the Korean War it can be seen that for many writers, writing propaganda for their government became a necessity in order to redeem oneself, or to remove any doubts on being in any way favorable to the communist ideology.