Abstract

Jeon Byeong-sun’s “What Comes After Despair” is a women’s narrative that explores the Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion and the Korean War, depicting the thwarting of women’s dreams of equality and freedom through liberation and war, and their subjugation to Cold War patriarchy. Kang Seo-kyung, a bold intellectual, experiences the Yeo- su-Suncheon Rebellion and the Korean War, experiences a failed love affair with Won Dong-hwi, and settles into a divided, anti-communist society by becoming the wife of Captain Lim Hyung-gyu, who, seemingly possessed by Stockholm Syndrome, attempted to humiliate her. Kang Seo-kyung’s marriage is characterized by “protection tax extortion, ” where a man who claims to provide protection exploits women in return. To Lim Hyung-gyu, Kang Seo-kyung is a spoil of war. The author realistically reconstructs the unfolding of the Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion and the Korean War, drawing on women’s experiences to the point where historical events cannot be considered mere backdrops to a romantic narrative. “What Comes After Despair” can be read as a female narrative that asks women what liberation and war are.