[Inside Chodong] The Language of Politics and the Language of Poetry

Changbi Poetry Series Celebrates 50 Years of Reader Support
A Wake-Up Call for the Political World Drowning in Ridicule and Abusive Language

"Less than a year after publishing the poetry collection Nongmu, emergency measures were imposed. Many friends were taken to investigative agencies for questioning or were even arrested and suffered hardships."

This was written by poet Shin Kyung-rim (age 88) in March 1975. It was published on page 120 at the very end of the poetry collection Nongmu under the title "At the Back of the Book." The poet continued, "Amidst such circumstances, Nongmu received the first Manhae Literary Award, which was more than I deserved. I was happy and proud, but I could not help feeling ashamed and sorry when I thought of my friends who were suffering."

Changbi Poetry Series 1 'Nongmu'

The cover of Nongmu reads "Changbi Poetry Series 1." The Changbi Poetry Series was born during the harsh days of the military regime. It was a time when the grand discourse was that we must resist dictatorship, and there was a feeling of apology, wondering whether poetry could truly be a means of resistance. Paradoxically, against this backdrop, poetry series from various publishers were published one after another.

It began in 1974 with Minumsa’s Today's Poets Series. The following year, the Changbi Poetry Series was launched, and in 1978, Munhakgwa Jiseongsa published a poetry series called Munji Poetry Series. The first poetry collection in the Munji Poetry Series was Hwang Dong-gyu’s When I See a Wheel, I Want to Roll It. Both the Changbi and Munji Poetry Series continue to this day. Recently, they published their 500th and 600th volumes respectively and held press conferences one week apart to commemorate the milestones.

Having endured nearly 50 years of harsh times, this achievement is by no means insignificant. Especially when we see today’s society where competition in all fields is fierce, and as a result, increasingly sharp words and writings overflow, creating a chaotic atmosphere. Shortly after the publishers’ press conferences, the 22nd National Assembly elections were held. It felt like a coincidence. Politics is the place where words and language are the most chaotic.

Poetry is a linguistic expression that pursues empathy through extreme restraint, eliminating even the last unnecessary word. By that logic, the language of politics, which is fundamentally called the art of speech, stands in stark contrast to the language of poetry. Recently, due to the extreme polarization of our politics, this phenomenon has worsened. There are too many unnecessary words. Moreover, they are mostly flamboyant and self-serving language. Kim Ye-ji, a member of the People Power Party, wrote in her book Breaking the Fishbowl and Going to the Sea, published last January, that the political world is covered with harsh abusive language that goes beyond ridicule and contempt, and that respectful and polite attitudes toward opponents are nowhere to be found.

From the left, Changbi Siseon 500 commemorative poetry collections 'Igeon Daman Sarangui Seupgwan' and 'Han Sarameui Noraega On Georie Noraereul', and Munhakgwa Jiseong Sijinseon 600 'Sineun Nareul Kkeulgo Dangshinegero Ganda'

In the 1970s, poetry series were published one after another, and in the 1980s and 1990s, poetry collections sold hundreds of thousands of copies, marking a golden age for poetry literature. However, recently, even selling 10,000 copies is considered a sensation as the number of poetry readers has decreased. Nevertheless, at the press conference, Kim Sa-in, former president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, said that the fact that poetry series have reached 500 and 600 volumes is a rare achievement worldwide and something that overseas literary figures would find dazzling. Additionally, Lee Kwang-ho, CEO of Munhakgwa Jiseongsa, said that young readers in their 20s and 30s are steadily joining the readership.

It is fortunate that there are still hopes that words and language will not become more chaotic. If the political world also shares this awareness, perhaps the 22nd National Assembly will see a reduction in abusive political language.