Historical Justice and Mnemonic Populism: The Iron Stake Narrative in Democratic South Korea

How do scientifically unverified stories become institutionalized as authoritative historical narratives through transitional justice measures? This research examines early democratic South Korea in the 1990s, when the belief that the Japanese empire had planted iron stakes across the peninsula to cut off Korea’s national spirit, a rumor lacking any scientific basis, gained national prominence. The narrative, originating from anonymous testimonies, was elevated into collective memory through a nationwide historical justice campaign implemented by the new democratic government. To explain this transformation, the article introduces mnemonic populism, an original analytical concept, defined as a populist strategy in which political elites selectively promote moralized historical narratives to draw a dichotomy between the people and their perceived adversaries. Through qualitative analysis of media reports, civil society activism, and state policy, the study shows how transitional justice mechanisms, beyond their conventional truth-seeking mandate, can be mobilized to consolidate elite legitimacy, amplify collective victimhood, and deepen antagonism toward historical enemies. The findings highlight how democratizing states may institutionalize emotionally resonant but empirically unverified narratives, revealing the political vulnerabilities of transitional justice when memory becomes a tool of populist governance.