Painter Byungjong Kim: "Life Is a Command to Live... Let Us Live Beautifully to the Fullest"

Byungjong Kim Shares "My Life, My Path" at Hallym University
Hallym University Successfully Holds Third "Hallym Civic Intelligence Forum"
Byungjong Kim: "A Hymn to Life Discovered Amid Deprivation"

On October 29, the Dohun Institute for Advanced Studies at Hallym University (President Choi Yanghee) held the third lecture of the 2025 fall semester "Hallym Civic Intelligence Forum" under the theme "My Life, My Path" in the auditorium on the fourth floor of the Life Sciences Building on campus.

Painter Byungjong Kim. Courtesy of Hallym University

This lecture was delivered by painter Byungjong Kim, known as a "Korean Aesthetics Explorer" who expresses hymns to life and nature on canvas. Around 140 people, including Chuncheon citizens and Hallym University students, attended the event, demonstrating their affection for Byungjong Kim and strong interest in the "Hallym Civic Intelligence Forum."

Taking the stage, Byungjong Kim stated, "Life is a command to live," adding, "There are several backgrounds and reasons why I have painted with life as my subject."

He continued, "The abundance of colors in Namwon, such as the crimson autumn leaves and primary colors, as well as the spatial deprivation of Namwon, which was a small city without even a library, influenced me. In the strict atmosphere of my home and the lack of space, I relied on nature and literature, painting and writing like a thirsty person."

Byungjong Kim said, "During my childhood, I was deeply influenced by my mother's Christian worldview. I vaguely sensed the presence of a great being who is the master of life, giving sunlight, rain, and beautiful flowers. In my mid-thirties, as I hovered between life and death, I felt the beauty of a life that would soon fade and disappear, and was drawn back to the influence of my childhood like centrifugal force. After surviving that ordeal, I decided to convey warmth through paintings that bear my own touch, and to live my life to the fullest."

Byungjong Kim concluded, "The beauty of Korea is humble and unpretentious, like Makgeolli. I introduced the vitality of life I have depicted, such as chickens, bamboo, pine pollen, the vibrancy of South America, people around me, and everyday objects."

Song Hogun, Director of the Dohun Institute for Advanced Studies at Hallym University, remarked, "In the face of merciless time, life is fragile and inevitably destined to disappear. I hope this was an opportunity for us to resolve to live our thirsty lives as beautifully as possible, in accordance with the command to live, just like in Byungjong Kim's paintings."

The 2025 fall semester "Hallym Civic Intelligence Forum" will feature novelist Kim Hongshin, poet Jeong Hoseung, and painter Byungjong Kim, followed by singer Noh Sayoun and photojournalist Kwon Hyukjae as speakers. Professor Pyo Changwon (Department of Convergent Forensic Science at Hallym University), who is also a profiler, broadcaster, and novelist, is scheduled to deliver a special lecture as the sixth and final speaker.

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