The Mold of the Mold

Juyun Lee challenges the notion of Korean mono-ethnicity by questioning the historical basis of all Koreans descending from Dangun, the legendary founder of the Korean kingdom. She argues that mono-ethnicity is a curated history rather than a factual account, serving as a post-colonial strategy to shape a national identity that prioritizes community over individuality. In The Mold of the Mold, a government-operated identity factory mass-produces three artifacts associated with Dangun—a bronze sword, bell, and mirror. This critique highlights how the mono-ethnicity myth homogenizes individual identities and characteristics, leading to disharmony for Koreans living in contemporary society.