Nabi T'aryong and Other Stories

When she utters "our country," which does she mean, Korea or Japan? Lee Yang-ji's short stories "Yuhi" and "Nabi T'aryǒng" portray the agony and inner conflict of Zainichi (ethnic Koreans residing in Japan) who find themselves considered strangers both in Korea and Japan.

"Yuhi" features the eponymous protagonist going to Korea in search of her roots as does Aiko, the main character of "Nabi T'aryǒng." Both women grow frustrated after realizing that they are considered marginal persons who can be neither Korean nor Japanese.

The two works vividly show traces of the writer's agonizing search for her identity and feelings of ambivalence as a second-generation Zainichi. Through these autobiographical stories, she uses her personal problems to brilliantly explore the realm of ethnic identity and language.