‘Pioneer of Modern Sijo’ Veteran Poet Jang Sungha Passes Away

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Jang Sun-ha, a senior sijo poet known as the "Pioneer of Modern Sijo," passed away at the age of 94 at 2:12 a.m. on the 1st at Incheon Geomdan Top Hospital.

Born in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, the late poet devoted himself to sijo creation while attending lectures by Garam Lee Byeong-gi (1891?1968) at the Sejong Secondary Teacher Training Institute affiliated with the Korean Language Society from 1948 to 1950. After winning first place at the 1st National Baekiljang Contest commemorating Gaecheonjeol in 1957, he officially debuted in the literary world in 1958 by publishing "Ultari" in Modern Literature. He briefly worked as a teacher at Iri Namseong High School, then worked at a publishing company, and was active as a director of the Korean Writers' Association and vice president of the Korean Sijo Writers' Association.

His representative work is "Gomusin," included in his first sijo collection "Baeksaekbu," published in 1968. This work attracted attention for its unconventional use of dashes (-) in sijo and was even included in high school Korean language textbooks.

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