Uiryeong County Announces Winners of the 16th Cheongang Literary Award

Winners of the 10th Uiryeong County Youth Cheongang Literary Award Also Announced

The Uiryeong County Cheongang Literary Award Operating Committee has selected and announced the winners of the 16th Cheongang Literary Award and the 10th Uiryeong County Youth Cheongang Literary Award.

The Cheongang Literary Award is presented annually in five categories—poetry, sijo (traditional Korean poetry), novel, children's literature, and essay—in order to honor the noble spirit of the righteous army and to carry on the patriotism and loyalty of General Cheongang Gwak Jae-u, known as the "Hongui General."

Uiryeong County Office.

For the Cheongang Literary Award competition, participants are required to submit at least one work related to Uiryeong or the righteous army in the categories of poetry, sijo, children's literature (children’s poem), or essay. This has played a significant role in promoting Uiryeong to writers nationwide.

For the 16th Cheongang Literary Award, a total of 1,266 writers submitted 6,152 works across the five categories during the one-month application period from January 1 to January 31, 2026, demonstrating the strong interest of both established and emerging writers throughout the country.

Before the judging, the panel paid tribute at the shrine of General Gwak Jae-u and his 17 subordinate commanders and righteous army soldiers at Chunguiksa Shrine. The judging process was conducted privately, with strict confidentiality and fairness maintained throughout.

The grand prize winners in each category were: in poetry, Lee Hyesoon (Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do) for "Jeongamnu"; in sijo, Park Jinhyung (Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do) for "Today, I Updated My Loneliness Again"; in the novel category, Yoo Kanghyun (Haeundae-gu, Busan) for "Delayed Recall (Ji-yeon Hoesang)"; in children's literature, Kang Jeonga (Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do) for "A Drop of Tear"; and in the essay category, Kim Siyoon (Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do) for "Wooden Cutting Board."

The excellence award winners were: in poetry, Ahn Jinyoung (Gangdong-gu, Seoul) for "White Steam Is Like Thin Paper," Kim Mijeong (Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do) for "Mangudang"; in sijo, Jeong Sunyoung (Naju-si, Jeollanam-do) for "Gilt-bronze Star Chart," Choi Taesik (Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do) for "Repairing Expressions"; in the novel category, Cho Mihae (Namdong-gu, Incheon) for "Under the Sunlight," Lee Juhyeong (real name Kim Seoyeon, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do) for "Balcony Fishing"; in children's literature, Woo Jinsook (Geochang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do) for "The Road in the Sky," Ko Hyunsook (Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do) for "Strange Smell"; and in the essay category, Kim Juseon (Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do) for "Mangrove Breathing Technique," and Choi Geumsook (Nam-gu, Busan) for "Wisteria."

The Cheongang Literary Award ceremony is scheduled to be held on April 19 during the upcoming Uiryeong Hongui General Festival. The grand prize for the novel category is 10 million won, and the excellence award in the same category is 5 million won. For the other categories, the grand prize is 7 million won each, and the excellence award is 3 million won each. Separately, the Youth Cheongang Literary Award ceremony will be held on June 1, Righteous Army Day.

For more details regarding the 16th Cheongang Literary Award and the 10th Uiryeong County Youth Cheongang Literary Award, please refer to the Uiryeong County website.

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