Gwangyang Steelworks Holds Concert at House Preserving Poet Yoon Dong-ju's Manuscripts

Soul Saxophone Volunteer Group Holds Talent Donation Concert for Citizens

The Soul Saxophone Club volunteer group of POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks (Director Lee Dong-ryeol) held a saxophone talent donation concert on the 16th at the house of Dr. Jeong Byeong-wook in Mangdeok Port, Gwangyang, where the manuscripts of poet Yun Dong-ju are preserved, for visitors.

On that day, 10 members of the Soul Saxophone Club (President Kwon Oh-sik) volunteer group performed saxophone music in the form of talent donation, offering a rich feast of sound to local residents and tourists.

On the 16th, a concert by the Gwangyang Steelworks Soul Saxophone Club was held at the house of Dr. Jeong Byeong-wook in Mangdeok Port, Gwangyang.
Photo by Gwangyang Steelworks

In addition, the event was further elevated by a talent donation performance by the ‘Gwangyang Ocarina Ensemble,’ composed of ocarina instructors and local students from the Gwangyang Jungmadong Lifelong Education Center, as well as a poetry recital by the Gwangyang Writers’ Association.

The house of Dr. Jeong Byeong-wook, where the volunteer group held the concert, is the place where the poetry collection written and left by poet Yun Dong-ju during his lifetime is fully preserved, and it is also designated as a national registered cultural heritage site.

Dr. Jeong Byeong-wook, a leading Korean literature scholar, was entrusted with preserving the manuscript by poet Yun Dong-ju, who was both his senior at university and a close friend during the Japanese colonial period.

Despite the Japanese oppression of Korean culture, thanks to the preservation of this poetry collection, was able to be published in 1948, after liberation.

The concert held that day was conducted to widely promote the house of Dr. Jeong Byeong-wook, a representative cultural asset of Gwangyang City that holds a page of Korean history, to citizens. It is expected to provide visitors with an opportunity to enjoy cultural life while also reflecting on the historical significance of Dr. Jeong Byeong-wook’s house.

The Soul Saxophone Club volunteer group, which organized the concert, is composed of 32 POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks employees and their families. Since its founding in 2008, the group has carried out various concerts and talent donation volunteer activities for underprivileged groups and local residents in the community.

The volunteer group regularly gathers at a designated place outside the Jeonnam Dragons’ exclusive stadium to practice saxophone performances, honing their skills to provide high-quality musical performances to local residents.

The Soul Saxophone volunteer group has held concerts for residents at multi-use facilities such as Baegun Shopping Center and Baegun Greenland in Geumho-dong. Last year, they also delivered moving saxophone melodies to citizens at the ‘Seomjingang Bicycle Riding Challenge’ event hosted by Gwangyang City and at Jeonnam Dragons’ home games.

On the 17th of last month, marking the 79th anniversary of poet Yun Dong-ju’s passing, they held a talent donation concert at Dr. Jeong Byeong-wook’s house to honor the poet.

A representative of the Soul Saxophone Club said, “It is meaningful just to be able to hold a talent donation concert to publicize such an important cultural heritage to the world,” adding, “We will continue our talent donation activities for the Gwangyang local community to which we belong.”