Frontal View of Seokjeong Literary MuseumA frontal view of Seokjeong Literary Museum located in Seoneun-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun. Seokjeong Literary Museum opened on October 29, 2011.
Lateral View of Seokjeong Literary MuseumA side view of Seokjeong Literary Museum located in Seoneun-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun.
Seoneunrl Village and Seokjeong Literary MuseumA Panoramic View of Seokjeong Literary Museum, the Old House of Shin Seok-jeong, and Seoneun Village located in Seoneun-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun.
Current Location10, Seoneun 1-gil Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
Definition
Poet Shin Seok-jeong Literary Museum in Seoneun-li, Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
Summary
Seokjeong Literary Museum was established to introduce works and articles left by Shin Seok-jeong (1907-1974), who was a poet from Buan, Jeollabuk-do and left a giant footprint in the country’s literary history. The museum displays five main collections of his poems, his posthumous works, and his handwritten manuscripts in order to commemorate and develop the poet’s spirit of literature.
Background of Construction
Established by the Buan-Gun office of Jeollabuk-do, the Poet Shin Seokjeong Literary Museum is operated by the Seokjeong Literary Society as entrusted by the Buan-Gun office. The Seokjeong Literary Society was started by five disciples of his in 1984. In 2004, his 30th death anniversary, they held a literary festival in memory of him and published a collection of literary works including reviews and papers about his poems.
Development
The work for the construction of the museum was started by the Buan-Gun office in 2006, and the museum was opened in October 29, 2011. Ms. Heo So-ra served as the first director until the December 31, 2013 and went a long way in letting people know of the lofty spirit of the great poet and how he lived. Mr. So Jae-ho, who served as the second director (April 1, 2014 – December 31, 2016), strived to have the literature of Jeollabuk-do and the country go the right way instead of focusing on an individual’s honor in remembering the great poet. He also played the lead role in holding the Seokjeong Literary Festival in 2014 and subsequently making it an annual event. Mr. Jeong Gun-su, who became the third director in March 1, 2017, has worked hard to enhance Poet Shin Seokjeong’s status in the country’s literary history. He also set up a space for displaying books and pottery donated on the second floor of the museum. In addition, he strives to hold programs and events like literary lectures and poem recitation contests.
Composition
Seoneun-dong, Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do where the Poet Shin Seok-jeong Literary Museum is located, is the great poet’s birthplace. The two-storied building has total floor space of 1,573 ㎡ and stands on land measuring 16,870 ㎡. The place also has a parking lot, and a park featuring a monument containing the poet’s poem. The first floor of the building has a permanent exhibition room showcasing handwritten manuscripts, collections of works, and 5,000-plus articles left by the poet as well as his letters sent to those close to him and framed photos so that visitors can understand his “challenging” spirit of literature. Engraved on the wooden wall of the exhibition room on the first floor is his motto in life in Chinese characters handwritten by him: “Let’s learn from that mountain that always appear undaunted and the river that always flows leisurely.” This phrase shows well that the poet found principle and belief of life in nature. The museum also introduces poets who influenced the poet and many talented writers: Park Han-yeong, Lee Ik-sang, Lee Byeong-gi, Park Mok-wol, Park Du-jin, Jo Ji-hun, Kim Gi-rim, Jeong Ji-yong, Park Yong-cheol, etc. through their photos and works. Also displayed are the poet’s collections of poems entitled Candlelight, A Sad Pastoral Song, Glacier, Mountain’s Prelude, The Sound of Bamboo in Wind, etc. Visitors could also discover his posthumous works including What I Want to Sing and the essay When Darkness Falls on Orchid Leaves with the ambient atmosphere. His unpublished works are displayed in part of the exhibition room. One can get a glimpse of his view of reality and sense of participation in reality. One can feel the breath of the poet in his works portraying his love of nature. It is interesting to witness his poems of resistance to Japan’s colonial rule of the country and the military dictatorship after the country’s liberation. There are also handwritten letters received by the poet from his teachers and those close to him. There is a facility for copying his poems by means of rubbing to help visitors be familiar with the poet’s works. The second floor offers various interesting places too. After the staircase, there is a book café. From a lookout on the second floor, natural surroundings come into view. There are also photos of him taken throughout his life. A space there says that it is for displaying ceramics and 3,000-plus books donated by Prof. Ha Jeong-il of the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Wonkwang University. Other facilities include the Curators’ Room, Storage Room, and Film/Seminar Room. The Film and Seminar Room shows films about episodes related to his school days, how he decided to be a poet, and beautiful sceneries of Buan. Lying in front of the museum is an old house named Cheongguwon, which he had built when he came back home at the age of 26. He planted diverse types of trees there, so the house looked like an arboretum. In September 2012, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) designated it as a nice place to visit.
Current Status
Since its opening, the museum has had three directors so far and held special events/programs like exhibitions of rare books kept at the museum and poetry/art, annual classes of poetry writing and poetry reading, and youth poetry reading academy, in order to continue the poet Shin Seok-jeong’s spirit of literature, and promote and develop the literature of Buan in Jeollabuk-do. Furthermore, the museum provides various events including the letter writing class for wives of a multicultural family, Poet Seokjeong School, and outreach service as well as the Seokjeong Cultural Festival. It has also held the Seokjeong Cultural Festival annually, jointly with the Association of Commemorative Services for Poet Shin Seokjeong and the Seokjeong Literature Association. Held during said festival are ceremonies for the presentation of the Shin Seok-jeong Literature Prize and the Candlelight Literature Prize and lecture sessions on literature. At present, the museum holds the national Shin Seok-jeong Poetry Reading competition, and the Seokjeong Youth Candlelight Literature Festival, which provides the youth essay contest, poetry reading contest, and literature lectures.
