Walking through Seoul Jung-gu, Cheonggyecheon, and Jongno-gu to explore background locations in novels by writers Lee Sang and Park Tae-won
[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] Kyobo Bookstore and the Daesan Cultural Foundation will hold the '2022 Kyobo Humanities Tour' on the 28th, exploring Jung-gu, Cheonggyecheon, and Jongno-gu in Seoul with commentary by Professor Yuseongho of Hanyang University's Department of Korean Language and Literature. The participation fee is 25,000 KRW, and 30 participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the 21st of next month.
Under the theme "Walking Seoul with 1930s Modernist Novelists Yi Sang and Park Taewon," this tour follows the literary footsteps of the pioneering modernist writers and close friends Yi Sang and Park Taewon.
The tour visits locations such as the old Mitsukoshi Department Store (now Shinsegae Main Store), the setting of the final scene of Yi Sang's "Wings," and Cheonggyecheon, the backdrop of the opening scene of Park Taewon's "Cheonbyeon Punggyeong" and a laundry site for women. The exploration covers areas in Seoul's Jung-gu (Gyeongseong Post Office, old Joseon Bank, old Mitsukoshi Department Store), Cheonggyecheon (Gwanghwamun statue of Yeom Sangseop, Park Inhwan's former residence), and Jongno-gu (Boan Inn, Yi Sang's house).
Yi Sang and Park Taewon were representative modernist novelists of the 1930s who left numerous works reflecting the lives of urban dwellers of their time. Yi Sang observed and explored the inner world of city people through surrealistic poems focusing on the inner self and novels such as "Wings," "Jijuhwesi (Spider Meeting Pig)," and "Donghae (Child Corpse)."
Park Taewon, in representative works like "One Day of Novelist Kubo" and "Cheonbyeon Punggyeong," explored the psychology and inner life of colonial city dwellers, while depicting peripheral aspects and lifestyles of the city, such as caf? waitresses and urban poor.
The two writers met in the Guinhoe (Nine Persons Society), maintained a friendship, illustrated each other's works, and modeled for each other's characters, continuing active artistic exchanges and establishing themselves as symbolic figures in modern Korean literature.
The tour video will later be available on the YouTube channels of Kyobo Bookstore and the Daesan Cultural Foundation.
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