Vietnam War – “Micro” approaches to human fate in the works of Hwang Sok Yong (Korea)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56097/binhduonguniversityjournalofscienceandtechnology.v8i2.325Keywords:
Chiến tranh ở Việt Nam; Hội chứng PTSD; Người lính Hàn Quốc; Nhà văn Hwang Sok Yong; Tiếp cận”vi mô”Abstract
As both a writer and a member of the South Korean Marine Corps during the Vietnam War,
Hwang Sok Yong experienced firsthand the horrors of that brutal period on Vietnamese soil. His deep
understanding of the war's nature and South Korea’s involvement stems from those harrowing years.
Hwang wrote about the Vietnam War as a way to re-examine the past and bear witness to what had
happened, contributing to a form of reconciliation in present-day relationships. Although the theme of the
Vietnam War has not traditionally been a prominent topic in South Korean literature, his works on this
subject have been well received by many Korean readers. This paper examines three of his short stories—
Ngôi tháp (탑, 1970), Vành mắt lạc đà (낙타눈깔, 1970), and Người trở về (돌아온 사람, 1972)—to
explore how the author approaches war through individual human fates. It aims to offer a deeper
understanding of how South Korean soldiers perceived the Vietnam War and the PTSD they suffered
upon returning home, thereby shedding light on the humanistic significance of Hwang Sok Yong’s
literature.
