‘Yi Yuk-sa Works Exhibition: The Forest Where Poetry Descended’ Exhibition

Seongbuk-gu 'Munhwa Gonggan Yi Yuk-sa' Where You Can Experience the Life and Works of Yi Yuk-sa... Yi Yuk-sa Exhibition 'The Forest Where Poetry Descended' Held from November 11 to February 12, 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Every year on November 17, 'Patriots and Independence Activists Day' is a legal memorial day established to eternally pass down to future generations the spirit of independence and sacrifice of the patriots who devoted themselves to restoring national sovereignty against Japanese colonial rule, and to honor their spirit and heroic deeds.

Commemorative sculpture in the rooftop garden of the Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa

The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, which was the central body of the Korean independence movement, held the 31st Provisional Assembly meeting on November 21, 1939. It is known that at this meeting, following a proposal by six members including Ji Cheong-cheon and Cha I-seok, November 17 was designated as the Joint Memorial Day for Patriots and Independence Activists.

Seongbuk-gu is an area where many independence activists, including Han Yong-un and Choi Yong-deok, lived or were active. Yi Yuk-sa (李陸史, 1904?1944) also resided in Jongam-dong, Seongbuk-gu. 'Cheongpodo' (Green Grapes) and 'Jeoljeong' (The Peak) are works Yi Yuk-sa published around the time he moved to Jongam-dong in 1939.

Yi Yuk-sa was not only a national poet but also a dedicated independence activist who endured imprisonment due to his armed resistance during the Japanese colonial period. He was imprisoned for involvement in the 1927 bombing incident at the Daegu branch of the Joseon Bank (Jang Jin-hong's action), and in October 1932, he enrolled as a first-year student at the Joseon Revolutionary Military Political Cadre School established by Kim Won-bong, the leader of the Uiyoldan, where he received training. In 1934, he was arrested and detained at Seodaemun Prison for being affiliated with the Uiyoldan and the Joseon Revolutionary Military Political Cadre School.

Photo taken at the time of arrest at Seodaemun Prison (Japanese Surveillance Target Card, National Institute of Korean History Database)

In 1943, Yi Yuk-sa returned from China to attend the funerals of his mother and eldest brother but was arrested by the Japanese and detained in the underground prison of the Japanese Consulate General in Beijing, China. The following year, 1944, he passed away in the cold prison.

'Flower' and 'Gwangya' (The Wilderness) are posthumous works written during this time. Throughout his life, Yi Yuk-sa endured imprisonment multiple times but never wavered in his determination for the independence of his homeland until his death.

In Seongbuk-gu, there is a place where one can experience the life and literature of Yi Yuk-sa. 'Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa' opened in December 2019, following a connection made in November 2016 when Yi Yuk-sa's only daughter, Mrs. Yi Ok-bi, visited Seongbuk-gu tracing her father's footsteps, combined with the efforts of local residents to commemorate the poet.

Especially from November 11, an exhibition titled 'Yi Yuk-sa Works Exhibition: The Forest Where Poetry Descended,' themed on Yi Yuk-sa's life and poetry, offers visitors a multi-sensory experience.

For more detailed information such as visiting hours and exhibition explanations, inquiries can be made by phone to 'Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa.'

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