War, Reconstruction, and Historical Memory: The Korean War in Soviet and North Korean Archives

Abstract

The Korean War (1950–1953) remains one of the most consequential conflicts of the twentieth century, yet its historiography is still shaped by Cold War narratives and national myths. This article draws on archival sources from Russia and North Korea to analyze how the war was remembered and institutionalized in official discourse between 1953 and 1970. Using propaganda leaflets, commemorative speeches, and state-sponsored publications, the study examines the interplay between Soviet ideological guidance and North Korean efforts to construct an autonomous historical memory.
The findings reveal that while Soviet narratives emphasized international solidarity and the broader struggle against imperialism, North Korean commemorative practices increasingly highlighted national resilience, sacrifice, and the leadership of Kim Il-sung. This divergence was not merely rhetorical but reflected the competing needs of two political systems: the Soviet Union sought to project a unified socialist front, whereas North Korea prioritized the consolidation of a national identity that could legitimize its independence and internal authority.
The article argues that these competing memory practices demonstrate the fluidity of historical narratives under socialist regimes, where history served as both a diplomatic instrument and a nation-building tool. By situating Korean War memory in a transnational framework, the research shows how political actors selectively adapted shared socialist discourses to local contexts. This contributes to a broader understanding of how postwar societies mobilized memory to navigate reconstruction, legitimation, and identity formation. The study underscores the importance of archival research in revisiting entrenched narratives and calls for a more comparative approach to Cold War memory studies.