South Korea is one of the most highly developed countries in the world and its current success can be attributed to the rapid industrial and economic growth it managed to achieve in as little as three decades. While the industrialization process had a tremendous impact on all parts of Korean society, resulting in large-scale proletarianization and urbanization, it had the most negative effect on the marginalized groups. The world-renowned author and the representative of Korean realism Hwang Sok-yong thematizes the hardships of the powerless during the abrupt transition of South Korea into a modernized country in his short story »The Road to Sampo«. Through Hwang's discussion of the motives relating to industrialization and unobtrusive social criticism, the reader gets an insight into historic events of the 1970s Korea, which contributes to better understanding of Korean society as it is today. The goal of this dissertation is to analyze »The Road to Sampo« as a reflection of the socioeconomic problems South Korea faced at the end of the 20th century and show it as an aid in understanding Korean culture as it is today. This was done by drawing parallels between the the historical background of the era, the author's life and the motives relating to industrialization in the short story.
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