Sin Seokjeong
Sin Seok-jeong’s Portrait Photo 1This photo shows Poet Sin Seok-jeong who created his own lyrical world in the Korean poetical circles. This photo was taken at his house “Bisabeol Chosa” in Namnosong-dong, Jeonju-si.
Sin Seok-jeong’s Portrait Photo 2This is a photo of Sin Seok-jeong, a poet from Buan who created his own lyrical world as a leading member of Korea’s literary circles.
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LocationGuyeong 1-gil Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryRegional Overview
- Korean신석정
- Chinese辛夕汀
- Nickname신석정(辛錫正)|석정(釋靜)|석정(石汀)| 석정(汐汀)|석지영(石志永)|소적(蘇笛)|호성(胡星)
- FieldOral Tradition, Language and Literature / Literature
- Contents TypePlace Name/ Road & Bridge
- Birthplace5-5, Nohyujae-gil Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- SchoolBuan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- ShcoolSeoul Metropolitan City
- Tomb LocationByeonsan-ro Haengan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A poet who was born in Buan and created his own lyrical world as a leading member of Korea’s literary circles.
- Career
- Sin Seokjeong (1907-1974; a member of the Yeongwol Sin clan), widely known in Korea as a pastoral poet, was born in 1907 as the second son (in a family of three sons and two daughters) of father Sin Gi-on and mother Lee Yoon-ok at 303-2, Dongjung-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do in 1907. He was also called by the names Ji-yeong, Ho-seong, and So-jeok when he was young. His father, Sin Gi-on, studied Confucianism under Jeong Woo (pen-name: Ganjae) during the late Joseon period. Sin Seokjeong entered the 2nd grade at the Buan Public elementary School at the age of 11 in 1917, and after his graduation, he studied hanmun (classical Chinese) in his hometown. Sin married Park So-jeong (from Mangyeong) in 1923 (actual wedding year is 1926).
He went to Seoul in March 1930 and studied Buddhist Sutras under the Buddhist monk Park Han-yeong (pen-name: Seok-jeon), who was considered a leading scholar along with Han Yong-un (pen-name: Manhae) at the Central Buddhism Educational Institute (present-day Dongguk University) of Daewonam Hermitage, which was located outside Dongdaemun Gate. At that time, many students of Park Han-yeong, who was a leader of Korean Buddhism, were literary men, most notably Choi Nam-seon, Lee Gwang-su, Hong Myeong-hui, Jeong In-bo, Cho Ji-hoon, and Seo Jeong-ju.
He gathered monks together to read the circular magazine Wonseon, and thanks to the literary people he met at that time, he encountered and exchanged ideas with poets of the Poetic Literature Association, which was established by the poet Park Yong-cheol (pen-name: Yongah) and published the club magazine Poetic Literature. The magazine was recognized for the inventive metaphors and pictorial descriptions of the Korean literary world; however, the third edition, which included Sin’s poem Gift, was the last to be issued in October 1931.
After hearing of his mother’s death in February 1935, he returned home where he bought a house in Seoneun-dong, Buan and named it “Cheongguwon” (meaning “a garden on a green hill”) As he always loved nature, Sin planted various species of tree such as ginkgo, obeche, magnolia, cornelian cherry, royal azalea, Northern bamboo, and rattan around the house. As the trees grew, many birds including the great tit, white eye, parrotbill, and titmouse began to nest in them. Sin’s house, which he built when he was just 26, features a double-glazed window and has a simple yet cozy atmosphere. While he was living there, Sin devoted himself to writing poems and published his famous poetical works Chotbul (Candle) and Seulpeun mokga (Sad Pastoral Song).
Sin Seokjeong preferred to continue writing poetry rather than focusing on achieving fame and prestige, but he despaired over the country’s ruination. His poems cover such themes as nature and everyday life, and he liked writing with a brush, inkstone, and hanji (traditional Korean paper). He enjoyed the poetry of the Tang Dynasty, and particularly admired the Tang poet Tao Yuanming, whom he wished to emulate by living a life of reclusion; however, at a time of national turmoil, he remained in the real world and wrote many lyrical poems. He continued writing poems without ever publishing them due to Japanese censorship, and only published his second collection of poems titled Seulpeun mokga (Sad Pastoral Songs), which are imbued with a spirit of participation in reality and historical consciousness, when Korea regained its independence.
Following his experience of Korean independence and the Korean War, Sin Seokjeong tended to write poems about resistance, although he retained his lyrical sentiments. He produced around 1,500 poems while staying in Buan and Jeonju, and worked as a member of the Poetic Literature Association while standing shoulder to shoulder with many of Seoul’s finest poets including Jeong Ji-yong, Park Yong-cheol, Kim Gi-rim, Kim Yeong-rang, and Lee Ha-yoon.
Later, a number of leading literary figures including Jang Man-yeong (Publishing Director of Seoul Shinmun) and Seo Jeong-ju visited Sin’s house (Cheongguwon). In particular, Jang Man-yeong met and married Sin’s sister-in-law. Meanwhile, Sin Seokjeong worked as an official at a township office and a county office, and then worked for the Korean Food Corporation, which was established to strengthen Japan’s control over Korean food production. However, when Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names, he refused to do it. On another occasion, he burned an official document ordering the conscription of fifty women as comfort women, which led to an internal investigation, but fortunately for him Korea regained its independence shortly thereafter.
Sin lived at Cheongguwon until he moved to Jeonju City. After working as a Korean teacher at Jeonju High School, he moved to a house named Bisabeol Chosa in Namnosong-dong, Jeonju-si, in 1952. Like Choengguwon, Bisabeol Chosa was also akin to a botanical garden, being filled with a wide variety of flowers, plants, and trees. He stayed there for 22 years until his death in 1974. He wrote several collections of poems including Bingha (Glacier), Sanui seogok (Prelude of a Mountain), and Daebaram sori (Sound of Bamboo); his posthumous works include the essay When Darkness Falls on Orchid Leaves and the poetry collection titled What I Want to Sing.
Aside from his poetical works, he devoted himself to translating Chinese poems, which gave him the inspiration and creative energy he needed to write his own poems. In particular, he translated a poem of Yi Mae-chang (1573-1610, from Buan), thereby shining a light on her outstanding poetry.
- Publications and Works
- Sin Seokjeong’s literary career started with the publication of his first work, Declining Sun, under the pen-name of “Sojeok” in the Chosun Ilbo in 1924; followed by Gift in the third edition of Poetic Literature in 1931. Thereafter, he published his pastoral lyric poems including What If I Woke It Up, Would You Like to Peek into My Dreams, Temptations of Spring, and A Small Landscape, establishing his position as a poet. Later, he published five collections of poems including Chotbul (‘Candle’, published by Inmunsa, 1939), Seulpeun mokga (‘Sad Pastoral Song’, Nangju Munhwasa, 1947), Bingha (‘Glacier’, Jeongeumsa, 1956), Sanui seogok (‘Prelude of a Mountain’, Garim Publisher, 1967), and Daebaram sori (‘Sound of Bamboo’, Munwonsa, 1970).
Other publications include An Appreciation of the Lyric Songs of the Ming Dynasty (published by Pakyeongsa, 1958), which was co-written with the poet Lee Byeong-gi (pen-name: Garam); Collected Works of Korean Poets (Singu Munhwasa, 1959); and Collection of Chinese Poems (Jeongamsa, 1954), which is a translation. His posthumous works include the collection of poems titled What I Want to Sing (Changjak and Bipyeongsa, 2007) and the essay When Darkness Falls on Orchid Leaves (Jisik Saneopsa, 1974).
- Tomb
- Sin Seokjeong was originally buried on July 6, 1974 in Shinwol-ri, Gwanchon-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do, where he had spent his vacations, rather than in the family gravesite in Buan. However, his tomb was eventually relocated by the Sin family clan to the Seonyeong Family Graveyard in Yeok-ri, Haengan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do on March 29, 2000.
- Awards and Commemorations
- Sin Seokjeong is regarded as a ‘patrol’ poet who created his own lyrical world with a particular focus on nature, through which he expressed a strong historical awareness and the spirit of participation in reality. He won various prizes including the Jeollabuk-do Culture Award in 1958, the Korea Literature Award in 1968, and the 5th Korea Culture and Arts Award in 1973.
- See Also