Article Written by Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilpyeong Lee After Attending Professor Heo Junyi's Special Lecture on the Mathematics Nobel Prize

District Chief Lee Pil-hyung Posts on Facebook on the 14th After Attending Professor Heo Jun-yi's KAIST Lecture, Reflecting on Rilke's Poetry "The Writing Level Is Different. A Fresh Shock" Draws Attention

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The writings of Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu (photo), are gaining attention for being far from ordinary.

Having been recognized as a skilled writer who published four books related to his expeditions on Baekdudaegan and the Himalayas, Mayor Lee has attracted attention as his posts on Facebook since taking office have been praised by many as “remarkably profound.”

On the 14th, Mayor Lee posted an article titled “The Charm of Mathematics” on his Facebook. He began by mentioning that he attended a lecture by Professor Heo Jun-yi, the first Korean to win the Fields Medal, known as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, at KAIST on the 13th, sitting in the back row.

Mayor Lee wrote, “Professor Heo said, ‘Mathematics not only reveals boundaries and relationships but also teaches us how to overcome prejudice and limitations.’ He added, ‘People cannot narrow the distance between the island where I live and the island where the other person lives. However, mathematics, though it takes time to find the answer, ultimately reaches a single correct solution,’” expressing his trust in Professor Heo.

Recalling Rilke’s poetry, Mayor Lee wrote, “A single tree soared up. Oh, pure ascent! And everything fell silent. Yet, even in that silence, a new beginning, a calling, and change appeared.”

He noted that through Professor Heo’s calm words, the image of a tree not just standing but soaring, as in Rilke’s poem, was revived.

Mayor Lee wrote, “Yes, the world is ascent. No, it is a new ascent.”

He also mentioned that Professor Heo still uses chalk, and when he writes a line with chalk, the answer is not immediately visible, but he sees himself gradually finding it.

Mayor Lee said that he himself has been using chalk recently. He saw that the breeze blowing within him for ascent is alive, breathing toward the future city and the 2050 vision through the Cheongnyangni complex development. He realized that as long as his thoughts are alive, the path is alive. He concluded by saying he saw another charm of mathematics?that the world today is infinitely new.

As readers increasingly experience a fresh shock from Mayor Lee’s imaginative expansion?recalling Rilke’s poetry while envisioning the future vision of Dongdaemun-gu while listening to Professor Heo Jun-yi’s lecture on mathematics?it is expected that more will be inspired.

Kim Jae-hoon, a manager from Yongsan-gu who usually reads many books, responded, “The mayor really writes well. You can feel the depth in every single word.”

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