Lee O-ryeong "The person who reads the map leads for 100 years"

Special Lecture on "The Future of the Korean Peninsula through New Geopolitics" at Gwanghwamun Cultural Forum
"The Way for the Korean Peninsula to Survive Is Not Choice but Creation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

After finishing his work in the middle of summer, the father comes home and asks to open the door because it’s hot. The mother says to keep the door closed because mosquitoes will come in. Whichever side you listen to, the peace of the household could be disrupted. A smartly taught child would install a screen door. It blocks mosquitoes while letting the breeze in, avoiding conflict.

This is a story told by former Minister of Culture Yi Oeryong (86) during a special lecture titled “The Future of the Korean Peninsula Seen through New Geopolitics” held on the 9th at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. He said, “This is exactly creation,” and added, “Doing what is not easy is creation, and doing what is easy is choice.”

The child caught between creation and choice is our country. Former Minister Yi said, “Words starting with ‘ho’ (胡) like hojumoni (pocket), hogung (fireplace), hobok (traditional clothing), and hotteok (sweet pancake) came through the Eurasian continent, while words starting with ‘yang’ (洋) like yangbok (Western-style suit), yangmal (socks), and yanggung (archery) came the other way, crossing the Pacific Ocean from the West.” He continued, “Our identity is seen as the Far East by continental powers, but as the Far West by maritime powers who came by ship. The place where the Far East and Far West meet is the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), this very site.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He said, “The current pains we are experiencing are the fate of a peninsula, neither sea nor continent.” He explained, “Peninsulas, including the Balkans, must become either a continent or a sea to survive, but if they remain peninsulas, they inevitably suffer damage from one of the two powers.” He added, “It’s not just our country. The fate of all peninsulas is that when asked whether you are sea or continent, if you answer wrongly or choose the wrong side, you will die.” Although he did not explicitly state it, considering history and current affairs, the continental powers can be interpreted as China and Russia, and the maritime (sea) powers as the United States and Japan.

According to former Minister Yi, our country has been more busy choosing than creating. He argued, “We did not make the history we wanted; others gave it to us and asked, ‘Which side do you want?’ We looked around and thought, ‘Which line should I stand in?’ so we could not create the history or land where we wanted to live.” Due to geopolitical characteristics, being a battleground between the two powers, the country could not wisely respond and thus could not avoid the hardships of Japanese colonial rule and division.

Former Minister Yi said, “I keep talking about creation because I feel a deep grievance. There is definitely a way for the peninsula to survive.” He emphasized that “Now is just like the late Joseon period or right after liberation. Those who look at maps, not calendars, will lead the next 100 years,” stressing that geopolitical insight is essential to write the history of peace and prosperity we desire.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Minister Yi was the first minister from the cultural and artistic community. During the Roh Tae-woo administration, when the Ministry of Culture and Public Information was split and the Ministry of Culture was newly established, he was appointed as the inaugural minister and served for two years. He was a writer of literary criticism, novels, and essays, and also worked as a university professor. He was a journalist who served as a daily newspaper editorial writer and a member of the National Academy of Arts of the Republic of Korea. On this day at the Gwanghwamun Culture Forum, he was selected as the first recipient of the “Gwanghwamun Culture and Arts Award,” established to mark the forum’s 20th anniversary, and received the award. The Gwanghwamun Culture Forum is a cultural and artistic gathering involving artists, scholars, legal professionals, journalists, medical professionals, and businesspeople.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.