Hyeok-Min Kang

This article examines why victims of violence pursue and justify non-violent forms of life in post-conflict environments. While previous scholars tend to explain that victims’ daily mechanism is marked by their silence and avoidance of violent confrontation to have a secure life, this study elaborates victims’ accounts of such actions when they should live together with their perpetrating enemies in the same place. Investigating victims’ narratives in the South Korean context as an example, this

Kim Jong-Un’s recent remark that redefined inter-Korean relations as hostile and belligerent ignited debates over whether the reunification goal should remain within Republic of Korea. In the context of this changing dynamic, the study explores the ways in which both Koreas could coexist in the face of pervasive antagonism, drawing on case studies of Germany and Ireland, both of which have experienced and peacefully maintained antagonism and managed resulting challenges. To this end, we argue th

Victim issues have received increasing attention under the ethic of ‘victim-centeredness’ in peace
\nand conflict studies. Resting on the belief that victim-driven practices are an effective
\npeacebuilding strategy, scholars have investigated the roles of victims and victimhood in peace
\nand reconciliation in deeply divided societies. While most researchers focus on victims’ needs and
\nroles, little research has inquired into the victims’ internal processing of endorsing recon

This article discusses agonistic reconciliation to expand the political horizons of reconciliation and explores the practical tasks of doing so. Reckoning with the violent past and opening the future are an inherently political affair. Power structure inherited from past evil deeds constantly threaten truth and justice and undermine civic politics. Reconciliation must therefore be understood as a political act, not a moral one. Agonism is a theory of democracy, explaining ever-present conflict a

This article provides a nuanced explanation of the ways in which the ordinary activists engage with the Korean peacebuilding. By undertaking three years of field research and analyzing the collected data, we have found that two aspects of the engagement are of great importance. First, the ordinary activists understand peacebuilding as an embodiment of everyday identity and language. Second, they make use of peacebuilding as a realization of ordinary people power. Both aspects reflect the people’

This article examines how victims of violence adopt religious meaning-making narratives to deal with their trauma and, in doing so, engage with a social ethic of reconciliation. An analysis of the narratives of five South Korean Christians who lost their families during the Korean war (1950–1953) provides detailed information about how victims rely on religious narratives to make sense of the causes of violence and suffering and to repair the damaged sense of the self. This study finds that the

본 연구는 한국전쟁 당시에 일어났던 민간인 학살 피해자들에게서 나타나는 회복탄력성을 내러티브 이론을 통하여 분석하였다. 전쟁 후 70년의 세월이 지났음에도 여전히 부족한 사회적 인정과 미완의 배·보상의 과정에서 피해자들은 어떻게 학살의 기억과 외상을 극복하며 자신들의 삶을 일구며 살아왔는가? 이 문제의식을 바탕으로 필자는 피해자들의 회복탄력성을 피해사건 이후에 발생하는 해석을 통한 내적 갱생과정이라고 정의하고, 아홉 명의 국가폭력 피해자들의 자전적 내러티브를 수집 및 분석하였다. 연구 대상자들은 자전적 내러티브 저술자로서 자신들의 이야기를 엮어가는 과정에서 유의미한 자기갱생 과정을 드러내었다. 이 과정은 피해 원인과 그 이후의 세계에 대한 이해, 피해자 스스로에 대한 자의식, 그리고 고통에 대한 의미생성이라는 세 과정으로 나타났고, 이들이 어떻게 수십 년 동안의 사회적 낙인과 고통을 견디면서 살아왔는지를 보여주었다. 연구의 결과를 바탕으로 필자는 피해자 지원에 관한 세 가지 정책적

Abstract This study examines how victims of political violence in 1950s South Korea approach agonistic reconciliation, focusing on three key concepts: the plurality of narratives, inclusive institutions, and relational changes. Based on the testimonials of 13 victims, it reveals that participants perceive the process of establishing historical truth as political contestation and seek to create a space where different narratives can coexist. They express hope for institutions where victim groups