20th Jihun Award Goes to Poet Minha Lee for 'Migihu'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] The Jihunsang Steering Committee announced on the 12th that poet Lee Minha has been selected as the recipient of the 20th Jihunsang Award. The Jihunsang Award was established to honor the spirit of Jo Jihoon, a poet who demonstrated the high standards of modern Korean poetry and a scholar who led research in Korean cultural history and Korean nationalist movements.

The awarded work is the poet’s fifth poetry collection, representing avant-garde poetry, titled "Migihu," published last year by Munhakgwa Jiseongsa. "Migihu" refers to a very small-scale climate, commonly measured up to about 1.5 meters above the ground. The Jihunsang Steering Committee stated that through a careful and rigorous selection process, poet Lee Minha was chosen for his outstanding sensibility and insight that broadened the foundation of Korean culture.

Poet Lee Minha was born in 1967 in Jeonju, Jeonbuk, and debuted in 2000 with the Newcomer Recommendation Award from "Hyundaesi" magazine. He has published poetry collections such as "Hwansang Sujok," "Like Music, Like Scandal," "Mojo Sup," and "All the Secrets of the World," and received the 13th Hyundaesi Work Award in 2012.

The award ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. on the 14th of next month at the Nanam Book Museum within Nanam Arboretum in Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do.

Meanwhile, since 2001, the Jihunsang Award has been presented in two categories: literature and Korean studies.