이 글은 1930년대부터 1945년 해방 이전까지 중국의 만주나 간도, 하얼빈, 상해 등 조선인 밀집 지역을 배경을 집필된 소설을 대상으로, 유맹이라는 키워드를 통해 재중조선인 집단의 자아상을 살핀 것이다. 유맹이란 본래 중국에서 사용되는 집단명사로 흔히 유민(wandering people)과 동일한 의미로 사용되지만, 문맥상으로 그 의미는 유랑민(displaced)과 부랑자(degenerate)로 나뉜다. 유맹은 유민(游民)이라는 의미에서 그저 빈둥거리고 사회질서를 어지럽히며 나쁜 짓을 일삼는다는 악한으로서의 면모를 강조한 개념이다. 특히 유맹은 민족주의 지사나 사회주의 혁명가 등 정치적 이상주의자와 결합하는 경우 기회주의적 변절자라는 의미로 사용된다. 이 글에서는 재중작가들의 작품에 나타난 유맹의 서사를 통해 망명이나 이주 등 다양한 목적에서 중국으로 옮겨간 조선인 집단이 정치적 이상주의나 개척자로서의 열정이 다했을 때 직면했던 위기의식의 표출 양상을 찾아내려 하였다. 세부 논점은 세 가지로 나뉜다. 첫 번째는 정치적 이상주의가 소진되던 시기 이국행의 의미를 잃어버린 지사 군상이 유맹 집단으로 전이하게 되는 상황을 살핀다. 두 번째는 유맹의 유형을 도시적 룸펜과 개척지의 부랑자로 나누어 논의하였다. 마지막으로는 국가나 민족 대신에 돈을 섬기는 유맹의 공포가 악의 자질과 연결되는 양상을 설명하였다.
This study discusses fictional novels that depicted the history and life of the Korean immigrants to China(Korean-Chinese) during the Japanese occupation. This study is focused on the meaning of '유맹[yu-meng]' in that novels. This word commonly means something like 'wandering people'. In the field of cultural research in Korea, this word is used to call the Korean immigrants who moved from Korea to China. But this word have a dual meaning in China. The first meaning is 'the displaced', and the second is 'the degenerate'. The second one show that the local residents are tend to despise the displaced peoples who came from other region. Wandering peoples are regarded as potential criminals. This prejudice may apply to ethnic immigrants as well. Many novels have shown that Korean-Chinese accepted this prejudice as their self-identity. In fact, of the Korean immigrants, these were many people in the beginning who move to china with the clear purpose of studying or participating politics. However, as Japanese's power strengthened, some of Korean-Chinese people lost their initial purpose, and they became as the society's degenerates, falling into crime, poverty, espionage and drug dealing. This study seeks to show the self-identity crisis of the Korean immigrants that was reflected by the double meaning of '유맹‘ at that time.
This study discusses fictional novels that depicted the history and life of the Korean immigrants to China(Korean-Chinese) during the Japanese occupation. This study is focused on the meaning of '유맹[yu-meng]' in that novels. This word commonly means something like 'wandering people'. In the field of cultural research in Korea, this word is used to call the Korean immigrants who moved from Korea to China. But this word have a dual meaning in China. The first meaning is 'the displaced', and the second is 'the degenerate'. The second one show that the local residents are tend to despise the displaced peoples who came from other region. Wandering peoples are regarded as potential criminals. This prejudice may apply to ethnic immigrants as well. Many novels have shown that Korean-Chinese accepted this prejudice as their self-identity. In fact, of the Korean immigrants, these were many people in the beginning who move to china with the clear purpose of studying or participating politics. However, as Japanese's power strengthened, some of Korean-Chinese people lost their initial purpose, and they became as the society's degenerates, falling into crime, poverty, espionage and drug dealing. This study seeks to show the self-identity crisis of the Korean immigrants that was reflected by the double meaning of '유맹‘ at that time.
