A Visionary Intellectual Ahead of His Time... Held a Pen Until His Final Moment

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Established National Institute of the Korean Language as Minister... Presented "Language Purification Standards"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Heeyoon, Seo Mideum] “I am a carpenter going to build a house on an empty field. A carpenter is someone who builds a house, not someone who moves into a new house.”

Lee O-young, the inaugural Minister of Culture and a ‘public intellectual of the era,’ passed away on the 26th at the age of 89. After undergoing two cancer surgeries in 2017, he devoted himself to writing his final book instead of continuing chemotherapy, and passed away during that time.

The life of the late Lee, who called himself a carpenter, was striking from the start. In 1955, as a sophomore in the Korean Literature Department at Seoul National University, he made a dazzling debut with his article “Destruction of Idols,” which contained a scathing critique of the established literary circles and was published in its entirety on one page of the newspaper’s fourth section. His declaration, which broke down old customs and the walls of idols and awakened the creative consciousness of the younger generation, excited the youth.

“It was a country road not even on the map,” the opening line of “In the Soil, In the Wind” contains the Korean culture as defined by Lee in his 30s. He creatively conveyed original messages through traditional Korean subjects and architecture such as hanbok, seonangdang (village guardian shrines), and Goryeo celadon. He was praised for presenting a direction through criticism rather than unconditional praise. Originally titled “The Cultural Climate of Korea,” Lee himself replaced “풍 (風)” with the Korean word “baram” (wind) and “토 (土)” with “soil,” giving the title a refined resonance.

After joining the faculty at Ewha Womans University in 1967, he served as a professor for over 30 years. He participated as the standing committee member for the pre-ceremonies of the 1988 Seoul Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, planning the final “Rolling Hoop Boy” performance at the opening ceremony, showcasing the aesthetics of blank space realized on the stadium field instead of manuscript paper to the world.

When the Ministry of Culture and Public Information split into the Ministry of Culture and the Public Information Office in 1990, he became the first Minister of Culture. He established the National Institute of the Korean Language and set standards for language purification. Enjoying thinking and creating in his mother tongue, he regarded his greatest achievement as changing the Japanese-style Sino-Korean word “nogyeon (路肩, road shoulder)” to the Korean word “gatgil (갓길, roadside).” He also founded the Korea National University of Arts, laying the foundation for nurturing cultural prodigies.

Foreseeing the information society early on, he proposed the slogan “Industrialization was late, but let’s lead in informatization,” and introduced the concept of “Digilog,” a fusion of digital and analog. He emphasized that digital gains power only when combined with analog reality and can enrich human life, a forward-looking insight that anticipated today’s emergence of the metaverse.

Over more than 60 years, he published about 130 books, including “In the Soil, In the Wind,” “The Japanese Who Pursue Reduction,” “Digilog,” and “The Path of Intellect,” as well as critical essays such as “Literature of Resistance,” “The New Wave of Postwar Literature,” “Literature of the Curfew Era,” and “The Birth of Youth.”

After losing his eldest daughter, Pastor Lee Mina, to cancer in 2012, he turned to Christianity and said, “The final destination of intellect is spirituality (靈性).” In his book “Memento Mori,” published during his illness, he addressed fundamental questions about the existence of God, explaining, “The relationship between God and me is not one of proof but of faith, and God is the object of faith. That is the world of faith made up of family love, romantic love, and the faith and love spoken of in religion.”

He never stopped writing until the moment he ended his life. When asked, “How would you like us to remember your life and death?” he replied, “It was an endlessly moving wave, but everyone returns to an equal horizon.”

Some have pointed out that if he had focused deeply on just one field rather than crossing many, he might have become a world-renowned scholar. To this, he responded, “There are those who dig wells and those who drink from wells. What I have lived my life doing is digging wells, and once I confirm water comes out, I go elsewhere to dig another well.”

He, who called himself a carpenter digging wells and building houses, quietly left after completing the wells and houses. He left his words and writings as his final gift, saying, “I have set up all the pillars and now I leave. At that time, the true owner of this house will come.” He said that everything in life was a gift...

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