First Lady Kim Geon-hee Visits Cheong Literary Exhibition: "Translation and Publishing Support Needed"

Mrs. Kim Visits Chunchoogwan Literature Special Exhibition
Emphasizes the Spirit of the Times in Modern Literature
"We Must Make Our Content Loved by People Worldwide"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] First Lady Kim Geon-hee visited the special literary exhibition "Yi Sang, Yeom Sang-seop, Hyun Jin-geon, Yoon Dong-ju, Strolling through the Blue House" held at the Blue House Chunuchu-gwan on the afternoon of the 9th, according to a written briefing by Lee Jae-myung, Deputy Spokesperson of the Presidential Office.

First Lady Kim said, "It is unfortunate that much of the modern literary heritage has been lost, but I am glad to be able to encounter historically and socially valuable materials here," adding, "I hope there will be more opportunities to show these to the public in the future."

She described the event as "an exhibition where you can see how writers and artists shared thoughts, nurtured friendships, and grew together."

Additionally, as an exhibition planner, she engaged in conversations with those involved on themes such as the era's anguish, love and friendship, and artistic spirit of modern literary authors she had taken an interest in.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, First Lady Kim remarked, "When literature leads, art, architecture, and music follow," and emphasized, "Our modern literary heritage is extremely precious as it embodies the spirit of the times."

She continued, "Our modern and contemporary literary figures were comprehensive artists skilled in printmaking, typography, and more," and urged, "I hope the Blue House will host more exhibitions of cultural content across various fields such as paintings, literature, and architecture."

Noting that despite excellent Korean literary works being nominated at international competitions, they have failed to fully convey Korea’s sorrows, expressions, and emotions, thus not deeply reaching English-speaking audiences, First Lady Kim stated, "It is necessary to support translation and publication efforts so that our country’s outstanding cultural content can be loved worldwide beyond the barriers of expression and language."

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Bo-gyun explained that twelve Korean literary works won awards or were nominated at international competitions last year, and responded, "We will continue to support related fields so that our cultural content can expand further globally."

First Lady Kim also personally wrote a poem by Yoon Dong-ju in her own handwriting at an experiential space where visitors could try writing poetry by hand.