VOL.74/2024.09

 

[A Trip to Literary Museums ⑤]

The Great Legacies of Two Literary Masters of Modern Times

Busan Metropolitan City: Yosan Kim Jung-Han Literary Museum
and Hyangpa Lee Juhong Literary Museum

 

2024.09.02

 

A writer’s legacy can sometimes become an important cultural asset for a region as it incorporates various stories. In this month’s issue, Book Trip travels to Busan, Korea, where you can feel a rich sense of literature. Busan, with its abundant tourist offerings such as the sea, movies, and modern cultural heritage, has a presence in literature that is second to none. The two pillars of Busan’s literary scene are Kim Jung-Han, who has intensely depicted modern life in his novels related to the region, and Lee Ju-Hong, whose works span a wide range of genres, including children’s literature, poetry, novels, and plays. The scent of their literature is wafting through the city, which has been a source of emotional support for people in times of turmoil. So, if you are looking for something a little different in Busan, why don’t you try following the traces of these two writers?

 

A writer’s spirit projecting the turbulence of Korea’s modern history into fiction:
Yosan Kim Jung-Han Literary Museum

 

 

As Korea has gone through a turbulent modern history, such as the Japanese occupation, the Korean War, and the division of the peninsula, the past and the lives of the people themselves have become important motifs for novels. In Busan, Kim Jung-Han, a writer who has lived through these times, has brought his brilliant observation and concern for the times, his love for ordinary people, and his conscience against injustice and inequality to his works.

 

 

In Geumjueong-gu, there is a place where you can discover the literary world of writer Yosan Kim Jung-Han, best known for his novel Sahachon. A modern-style literary museum with an antique atmosphere and a bust of the writer welcomes visitors. Born in Busan, Kim Jung-Han is also known as the “watchman of the Nakdong River” for his works, such as Sahachon, The Story of Sandbank, and Surado, which are primarily based on the region. He is also known as a national writer for his works, such as Dugimi Naru, which discusses the ideology of ethnic division, and The Human Complex, which decries the absurdity that develops under the name of social projects.
He also left behind a number of other notable works, including Sabatjae, on the theme of the resistance of the people during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and Sangeojok, which has his famous phrase “Live to be a decent human being.” The museum, which provides an in-depth look into the life and work of Kim Jung-Han, who pursued his own distinctive literary world, consists of an exhibition room, library, research room, and seminar room. The museum is not only a place to appreciate the writer’s life and works, but also a place to constantly memorialize the writer who made a mark in Korean literary history, reread his works and reflect on their literary value, and expand the horizons of Korean literature. Through his novels, Yosan Kim Jung-Han sought to stand on the side of the weak, resist injustice, and live a decent life. His spirit continues to resonate through his works, inspiring and teaching people.

 

 

Busan citizens’ affection for Kim Jung-Han, whose works have left a lasting mark on Korean literary history, can be seen in the designation of Yosan Literary Street near the literary center. And thanks to this, the influence of Kim Jung-Han’s literary spirit and the ideas of the times are passed on to the younger generation through the Yosan Literary Award. Even though the writer has passed away, his works are being reproduced as cultural content that creates bigger waves of inspiration.

 

 

A true reflection of a writer with a broad literary spectrum: Hyangpa Lee Juhong Literary Museum

 

Not far from the Yosan Kim Jung-Han Literary Museum, there is another attraction that should not be missed on your Busan literary tour. It is the Hyangpa Lee Juhong Literary Museum, home to a writer known to the public as a children’s writer who founded the Busan Children Literary Society, but who also wrote novels, plays, essays, and critiques. Located in Oncheon-dong, a neighborhood famous for Dongnae Hot Spring, you can reach the Hyangpa Lee Juhong Literary Museum by walking along Lee Juhong Literary Street, which is organized like a park. Since the writer was particularly prominent in the field of children‘s literature, the street is lined with his various poems and illustrations, including the “Kkomaengi Library,” which resembles a red telephone booth. If you walk through the streets reading the poems, you will eventually reach the literary museum.

 

 

Once you enter the museum, it’s best to start your tour on the second floor. The second floor of the Lee Juhong Literary Museum is particularly impressive because it preserves the “Soakseoru” (笑岳書樓, meaning “a place to write in a big mountain full of laughter”). In this space, the writer spent much of his life writing and interacting with other writers such as Ku Sang, Kim Jung-Han, and Yoo Chi-Hwan. Soakseoru, which was the center of Lee Ju-Hong’s creative sphere spanning a wide literary spectrum, including the poetry collection Hyeoni’s House, the children’s book The Fifer, the play Daybreak, and the novel Inspector Park Moon-Soo, is a place where you can enjoy the feeling of being invited into the writer’s room while he is in the middle of writing. Furthermore, there are various books on display, including the writer’s personal belongings and literary magazines he published. Looking at the works exhibited, you will be able to imagine the prolific and multi-talented writer Lee Ju-Hong.

 

 

The first floor is for children from the area to read books, and various programs and events are held here from time to time. It’s not a large space, yet you can still enjoy some of the writer’s favorite items and works, giving you a sense of the time when Korean literature began to flourish. Above all, Lee Ju-Hong’s wide range of activities in the literary field adds to the meaningfulness of the museum, as it provides a brief glimpse into the history of modern and contemporary Korean literature. It is a great place to spend an emotionally fulfilling time reading the gift-like works of Lee Ju-Hong, whose heartwarming and humorous works have helped to diversify and deepen the roots of modern Korean literature.

 

Where you read books among the sounds of the waves: Dadae Library and Haeundae Library

 

If you are looking to take the feelings you got from the two literary museums a little further, consider visiting a library. There are 51 public libraries in Busan. Each library is operated under its own theme and serves as a good reading space for locals and a center for lifelong education for building operates under its own theme and serves as a good reading space for locals and a center for lifelong education to build various knowledge such as liberal arts and humanities. Among them, Dadae Library, which is located in an excellent location overlooking Dadaepo Beach and serves as an optimal cultural space, has a specialized theme of “multiculturalism.” Also, Haeundae Library, which is located close to Haeundae, one of Busan’s famous tourist destinations, and provides travelers with a place to relax with books, has “English for Children” as its special theme. We visited these two libraries, which feature a wide variety of books and programs that match their specialty themes, as well as moments of daily life that bring books closer.

 

 

Dadae Library is a great place for a “book-vacation (a combined word of ‘book’ and ‘vacation’),” reading books while enjoying the ocean view. There is also a rooftop garden with a panoramic view of Dadaepo Beach, where you can read books while quietly gazing out at the ocean, making it a unique experience. Thanks to this, you can always find people of all ages enjoying their daily lives with books at Dadae Library. A library with a scenic view is itself a crossover of books and space, and that’s exactly what you will find at Dadae Library.

 

 

While Haeundae Library does not have a direct view of the ocean like Dadae Library, its proximity to the sea makes it a great place to stop by and enjoy a good book after spending time at the beach. A little away from the hustle and bustle of Haeundae, Haeundae Library offers a more secluded place to lose yourself in a book, and is open to locals and travelers alike. Most importantly, Haeundae Library is located right in front of Daecheon Park and Daecheon Lake, so you can feel like you are surrounded by nature. As a result, the library is always crowded with people who live a life with books, fulfilling the role of a public library.

 

 

One of the many pleasures of traveling is relaxing with a good book. If you have ever had the experience of relaxing on a sunbed at a resort with a gorgeous view and reading a good book, you should visit the many literary museums and libraries in Busan. Enjoying an intellectual trip with books is another great way to make memories.

 

 

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Written by Kim Young-Ihm