VOL.77/2024.12

 

[A Trip to Literary Museums ⑦]

Where Poetry and History Meet

Exploring the Kim Su-Young Museum and Cultural Legacy in Dobong-gu, Seoul

 

2024.11.04

 

A place that’s just ordinary for some can be a magnificent destination for others, inspiring memories and recharging the soul. Seoul, the capital of Korea, is a prime example of this duality. With the growing popularity of K-culture in various aspects, more travelers are visiting Seoul; however, if you make a trip slightly outside the center of Seoul to Dobong-gu, you will find a different Seoul with a more tranquil atmosphere. Surrounded by Bukhansan Mountain, Dobong-gu is a district where you can take a walk around the trail or hike up the mountain. There are also many areas where you can look down the mountain, get a glimpse of the cultural powerhouse that is Korea, and be touched and impressed. If you walk down the narrow alleyways of Dobong-gu, which add to the curiosity and fun of discovering hidden spaces, you will be greeted by a literature museum commemorating Kim Su-Young, a poet who led Korea’s modern and contemporary literature.

 

A tribute to a poet who sparked a passion for literature: Kim Su-Young Museum

 

 

Kim Su-Young, one of Koreans’ favorite poets, died at the young age of 48, but left behind many poems during his relatively short life. The time he felt and suffered from the chaos and turbulence of modern Korea would have been reflected in his poems. For this reason, Kim is regarded as a poet who used critical and philosophical poems to express the situation of the times. Kim, who initially showed modernist tendencies, began to capture an intense sense of reality with the April Revolution (also called the “April 19 Revolution”)* serving as a turning point. He advocated a “whole-body” poetics (“Poetry is about pushing forward with your whole body, your whole self” - from Poem, Spit Up (시여 침을 뱉어라)) that seeks to create a new world beyond the past and present by addressing the self-awakening of petit bourgeois, the honest agony of intellectuals, and the protest against the suppression of freedom, often in a confessional and straightforward tone. For this reason, he is remembered as a poet who wrote fiercely with his whole self.

 

* April Revolution: A democratic uprising by students and citizens against the corruption of the government on April 19, 1960.

 

 

Although poet Kim Su-Young was born in Jongno-gu, Seoul, he lived and wrote poetry in Dobong-gu, making Dobong-gu the birthplace of his poetry. As his house and graveyard are also located in Dobong-gu, the Kim Su-Young Museum (You can search for “Kim Suyeong Literature Hall” on Google Maps.) was opened in 2013 to commemorate the poet’s life. Consisting of four floors, it is a cultural complex centered around one writer, Kim Su-Young. The first and second floors exhibit Kim Su-Young’s works, biography, and belongings that provide an in-depth look into the world of his poetry; the third floor is used as an auditorium where various studies, lectures, and seminars are held based on Kim Su-Young’s poetry; and the fourth floor is the Kim Su-Young Literature Library, where anyone is free to visit to read books. Lastly, the rooftop garden offers a panoramic view of Bukhansan Mountain, boasting a spectacular mountainscape - a fitting end to the time spent with the poet.

 

 

Since Kim Su-Young has left behind a wide range of works, the museum is designed to immerse visitors in his works more than anything else. In the exhibition room, you can follow the trajectory of the poet’s life organized in chronological order, so that you can have an indirect experience of how he lived through the turbulent modern history of Korea, including the Korean War, the April Revolution, and the May 16 Coup*. Also, as the poet’s handwritten manuscripts are available to view, the poems are delivered deeply to the heart. In addition, you can not only enjoy the poet’s figure and his language through various videos, but also feel the breath of the poet in the “Poet’s Study (시인의 서재),” where you can see the dining table where he wrote his manuscripts and his favored books up close. Plus, the “Reading Stand (독서대),” which features Kim’s works, including poetry and prose collections, as well as books and papers related to him, offers visitors the pleasure of stopping for a moment to read.

 

* May 16 Coup: A military coup on May 16, 1961, in which a group of soldiers physically overthrew the then-present government and seized power.

 

Going up to the third floor after looking around the exhibition area, you will find the Kim Su-Young Literature Library. This library, which houses various types of books on top of Kim’s works, is open to the public, and anyone can take a seat and read books. Though it might not be spacious, the time reading books here in silence, reflecting on the impressions and emotions you had at the museum, will help you appreciate the deeper scents of literature. This is another pride and charm of the place, organizing both the museum and the library. Last but not least, if you want to further enhance the special literary impressions of your time at the museum with the natural landscape, the rooftop garden is the perfect spot, where you can take in the serene surroundings. Despite the long gap in time, the view of Bukhansan Mountain that Kim Su-Young must have come across, and the village that still retains its quaint atmosphere, is a pleasant way to end your visit to the museum.

 

 

The dignified home of a guardian of cultural artworks: Kansong House

 

Just a short walk from the Kim Su-Young Museum is a place where you can meet someone who has made a cultural impact as big as Kim Su-Young. They say that turbulence gives birth to heroes. However, heroes are not only born on battlegrounds. Heroes are created in various fields as they gather their passion and will to accomplish certain things. One such person was Kansong (澗松) Jeon Hyeong-Pil, who fought for independence in his own way by protecting cultural artworks during the Japanese occupation of Korea. He was an educator and collector of Korea’s cultural heritage, preventing valuable artifacts from falling into the hands of the Japanese. Known as one of the richest men of his time, he used much of his wealth to buy cultural artifacts that were about to be taken to Japan or to retrieve those that had already been taken. He was literally a man of noblesse oblige. He also built Bohwagak (葆華閣, meaning “house of luminous treasures”), the predecessor of Korea’s first modern private museum, the Kansong Art Museum; his house is located in Dobong-gu as well.

 

 

Jeon Hyeong-Pil’s house, also known as Kansong House, is a century-old hanok, full of elegance. Though parts of the gate, fence, and building were left damaged after the end of the Korean War, the house was partially repaired using materials saved from the demolition of the family’s main house in Jongno after Kansong’s passing in 1962. Kansong House, which holds significant cultural significance, was listed as a National Registered Cultural Heritage in 2012 and was restored and opened to the public in 2015 by Dobong-gu and Kansong Art & Culture Foundation. Behind the simple yet sophisticated Kansong House is the graveyard of Kansong, which cannot be accessed; it’s a fitting place to honor Kansong’s contribution to defending Korea’s cultural and artistic pride.

 

 

Wondangsaem Park and the Tomb of King Yeonsangun, which have coexisted with people’s lives for generations

 

A couple of great places to visit while traveling in Dobong-gu are Wondangsaem Park and the Tomb of King Yeonsangun. These two sites are not only right next door to each other, but also adjacent to Kim Su-Young Museum. Wondangsaem Park is home to a small spring called Wondangsaem, after which the neighborhood was once known as Wondang Village. The spring has provided much-needed water to the people for hundreds of years. Today, the spring has been restored to a traditional pond by piping in groundwater to keep it flowing, and it has been transformed into a park where anyone can come and relax. It is here that we can see that with the right environment, a space can become a place of relaxation that quietly blends into people’s lives over time.
Wondangsaem Park houses the traditional pond Wondangsaem, Samojeong, a pavilion where you can enjoy the view of the pond, and over 13,000 trees that provide a cozy shelter. The park is at its most beautiful in the fall. There is a very large ginkgo tree designated as a Monument of the Seoul Metropolitan Government in Wondangsaem Park, which is over 800 years old, where you can marvel at its yellow leaves. As the entire park is designed to provide eco-friendly landscapes, it also has a walking trail perfect for contemplative strolls. You can also find the Wondang Village Hanok Library connected to the park, where you can enjoy reading a book after a leisurely break.

 

 

Since you have come this far, it’s worth visiting the Tomb of King Yeonsangun, located at the entrance to Wondangsaem Park. Yeonsangun was the son of King Sungjong, the 9th king of Joseon, whose accomplishments during his reign included relieving the impoverished and renovating Jongmyo; however, he was deposed for tyranny after learning of the death of his mother, Deposed Queen Yun. He was exiled to Ganghwado, where he died and was buried, but at the request of his wife, Shin, the tomb was moved to its current location. Although the tomb is not lavishly decorated like other royal tombs, it preserves the traditional tomb style, allowing visitors to get a glimpse into Yeonsangun, who once lived as a king.

 

 

Although the landmarks of Dobong-gu, including the Kim Su-Young Museum, can be toured in as little as a single day, the impressions they leave are as majestic as the stems of Bukhansan Mountain that surround them. In Dobong-gu, there is one who left their mark in the form of poetry - in the fierce struggle with literature, while another has recorded the traces of a socially responsible life as a member of a prestigious family. And now, the spaces they left behind continue to present special memories to those who come to visit.

 

 

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Written by Kim Young-Ihm