The Japanese ghost Yurei and the Korean ghost Guisin are similar in a typical visual image, but they are rather different in character; Guisin heavily reflects motherhood and Confucian values, while Yurei not so much. It is my understanding that Korean movies in the post-war era and TV dramas in the military regime era played important roles in formalizing such a characterization of Guisin. Several scholars have already suggested that many features of Guisin are derived from Yurei, and my former study also explored how Yurei were represented in Japanese film in those eras. This presentation aims at elucidating the reality of Korean society and women in the military regime era (1960–1993) by focusing on how the life and character of Guisin were depicted in the episodes of the popular TV drama series "Hometown Legends", which were based on Korean folktales. Specifically, I analyze three types of ghost; the "virgin Guisin", the "good wife and wise mother Guisin", and the "widow Guisin". The analysis will reveal that those Guisins are characterized or bound by the values of motherhood and Confucianism and that such a characterization stems from the military government’s seclusion policy and censorship as well as the overall atmosphere of Korean society at that time. Furthermore, I review the episodes of the TV drama series "Hometown Legends" from the perspective of "Han", which is said to be the unique feature of the sentiment of Korean people.

Authors:
Mikyung Bak, Heian Jogakuin University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr MIKYUNG BAK is an Assistant Professor of Heian Jogakuin University, Japan. She studies modern history and modern culture, and a recent study has conducted a comparative study of the Representation of Korean and Japanese Ghosts.

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