Preserving Historical Memory in the Urban Space of Seoul

Abstract

The loss of Korea’s independence in 1910 and its incorporation into the Japanese Empire, followed by its division along the 38th parallel, initiated the formation of a trauma-memory. This trauma is linked to the specific nature of its liberation - a consequence of Japan’s surrender in World War II-decolonization, and the intensification of the struggle for democratization in the Republic of Korea during the 1960s-1980s. This article analyzes memorial sites created within the framework of traumatic narratives. These sites reflect state policies, official memory, personal histories, and the histories of small communities-specifically, the stories of "comfort women" and the victims of the democratization struggle, which entered the realm of public history by the end of the 20th century.