Historical Representation in Kwon Yun-deok's Picture Books: Focusing on the Memory of State Violence

Abstract

This study examines how historical representation is constructed in Kwon Yun-deok's historical picture books—Grandmother Flower, Wooden Stamp, Sixteen, and Yongmaengho. Although these works address different historical events, including the Japanese military “comfort women” system, the Jeju 4·3 Incident, the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, and the Vietnam War, they collectively explore state violence, historical memory, and the question of responsibility. The study finds that Kwon's picture books reconstruct state violence not only through victims' testimonies but also through the memories and guilt of those implicated in violence. They combine narrative with paratextual elements such as frontispieces, dedications, notes, and the author's afterwords to establish historical credibility while maintaining literary imagination. Furthermore, detailed visual representation, traditional painting techniques, divided-page compositions, color contrasts, and fantastical bodily transformations visualize how memories of violence continue to shape the present. Taken together, these works demonstrate diverse narrative and visual possibilities for representing memories of state violence and historical responsibility, while encouraging readers to reflect on these issues beyond the mere transmission of historical facts.