First there was the denial followed by a period of silence. Then came the half-hearted admission of guilt in an exclusive newspaper interview.
Best-selling author Shin Kyung-sook, whose “Please Look After Mom” won her the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2011, responded to allegations of plagiarism in a textbook manner. When literary critic Lee Eung-jung wrote on the Huffington Post Korea last week that Shin’s 1996 short story “Legend” featured parts lifted from a Korean translation of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima’s 1961 short story “Patriotism,” Shin released a brief statement the following day through her publisher denying the allegation. She said that she did not know of “Patriotism” and would not respond to the allegation since, regardless of their veracity, such allegations remain as wounds to the writer.
In the accompanying statement, Changbi Publishers asked the media and the readers to make their own judgments after reading both “Legend” and “Patriotism.” The publisher went on to say that it was very difficult to see similarities between the two works, and that the basis for alleging plagiarism was weak.
In the hail of criticism that followed, Changbi Publishers issued an apology for its inept handling of the issue and admitted that some sentences may raise suspicions of plagiarism. The public disappointment and anger at Changbi Publishers, a publishing powerhouse that was once an icon of the spirit of resistance, however, could not be quieted. Meanwhile, Shin remained silent on the issue until she spoke about it in an exclusive interview with a newspaper on June 23.
If the public wanted a clear answer, they did not quite get one. All Shin admitted to was that after reading the controversial sentences over and over, she has concluded that it would be correct to raise questions about plagiarism.
“No matter how much I searched through past memory, I don’t remember having read ‘Patriotism,’ but now I am in a situation where I cannot trust my memory,” she said. She also said that she would continue to write because writing is life to her. As for “Legend,” she said it will be pulled out from the collection of short stories published by Changbi publishers.
Shin’s interview lacks the clarity and simplicity that writers aim for in their prose. After a rather convoluted admission of guilt ― I am still not certain if she did indeed admit to plagiarism in that interview ― Shin offers excuses for the possible plagiarism and a brief apology. I wonder if I am the only one feeling that she sees herself as a victim. After all, when the same allegation was made 15 years ago by yet another writer, it had been simply dismissed, brushed aside.
The media is having a field day with the “plagiarism scandal.” It is simply too delicious ― the fall of a star writer who rose from poverty to become an international best-seller ― for the media to not pursue the story. However, the story of a plagiarism allegation involving a celebrity writer has somehow evolved into a story of the powerful cartel of publishing houses and how they have “corrupted” the literary world.
Critics’ arrows are now aimed at the power wielded by a troika of hegemonic publishing houses. The narrative now is that publishers shield and protect their moneymaking best-selling authors. It is argued that even if the publishers do become aware of controversies such as the one plaguing Shin, they blatantly ignore and dismiss the problem because they need their star writers to be their cash cows. We were all witnesses to this in Changbi Publishers’ initial handling of the plagiarism allegation. In addition to denying plagiarism, the publisher all but said that Shin’s “Legend” was superior to “Patriotism.” In such an environment, authentic literary criticism has disappeared, to be replaced by glowing reviews carried, incidentally, by the literary magazines that the publishing firms put out.
Powerful publishers’ swaddling and coddling of their writers to the point of denying plagiarism charges on their behalf, however, does not absolve plagiarists of their crimes. Another best-selling writer once likened plagiarism to stealing words.
Cartel or no cartel, writers should bear the responsibility for plagiarism. Surely, publishers are not expected to be sleuths searching for copied words or ideas. In an age when creative works are frequently products of interpretation, reinterpretation, deconstruction and reconstruction, where do you draw the line between an original creation and a copy? If an artist is inspired by another work and somehow that inspiration seeps into her work, do we immediately condemn it as plagiarism? Ultimately, it is only the writers who know for certain whether they have plagiarized.
In the case of Shin, who has said that she practiced writing by copying out in longhand other authors’ works, the possibility of unintentionally borrowing words, phrases or ideas may be great. Indeed, “Legend” is not the only work now mired in controversy.
Even then, it is difficult to see how the exact sentence found in the Korean-language edition of “Patriotism” translated by poet Kim Hu-ran could have made its way into Shin’s “Legend” without it having been consciously lifted. Shin may not remember the act of copying the sentence verbatim, but the words are there for everyone to see.
Shin’s plight has prompted soul-searching among those in the literary world. There is even a discussion about developing a guideline for dealing with plagiarism. As earnest as such efforts to prevent plagiarism may be, the best guideline resides within the conscience of individual writers. Writers who are looked up to as the “conscience of the times” or the “voice of the times” must bear the moral obligation to be honest about their works.
In her interview, Shin says she is sorry to her readers. Strangely absent is any apology to the author Mishima or the poet Kim who translated “Patriotism.” As much as she owes an apology to her readers, she owes apologies to the two for stealing from their works.
By Kim Hoo-ran
Kim Hoo-ran is an editorial writer at The Korea Herald. She can be reached at khooran@heraldcorp.com ― Ed.
