Yeongdeungpo-gu Discovers Second Gu Sang Poet... Gu Sang Literary Award and Writing Contest Ceremony Held

December 5th, 4 PM, Yeongdeungpo Art Hall Exhibition Room to Host Literary Awards and Writing Contest Ceremony
Awards Presented to Winners of Gusoang Literary Award, Yeongdeungpo Literary Award, and Hangang Writing Contest... A Platform to Discover Literary Talent
Accelerating Various Commemorative Projects to Discover the Second Gusoang Poet

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it will hold the Gusang Literary Award, Yeongdeungpo Literary Award, and Gusang Hangang Writing Contest award ceremony on December 5th at the exhibition hall on the 2nd floor of Yeongdeungpo Art Hall.

This award ceremony is the final event marking the culmination of the Gusang poet commemorative projects carried out throughout 2024. It will be a meaningful occasion to present awards to the literary award and writing contest winners, share judges' comments, and hear acceptance speeches.

The district has been actively promoting various commemorative projects to honor the literary achievements of poet Gusang (Gu Sang), who lived in Yeongdeungpo for over 30 years and left numerous literary works inspired by the Han River. Through literary award competitions and writing contests as part of these projects, the district encourages literary creative activities among residents and strives to discover talented literary artists who will carry on the poet’s literary legacy.

The event will begin with a recitation of Gusang’s representative works, followed by the award presentation to the grand prize and runner-up winners of the ‘Gusang Hangang Writing Contest’ held last November at Yeouido Hangang Park.

For the ‘5th Yeongdeungpo Literary Award,’ Jeon Young-kwan’s poem “Birth of a Part” was selected as the winning work, and Hong I-re’s novel “Homo Esperans” was chosen as the runner-up. Jeon Young-kwan’s poem “Birth of a Part,” set against the backdrop of a metal workshop in Mullae-dong, was praised by the judges who said, “His poetry pushes the space of Yeongdeungpo forward as the essence of life itself based on stability and positivity,” and “His poems maintain a consistently high level and possess sufficient aesthetic qualities.”

Hong I-re’s novel “Homo Esperans,” which delicately depicts the loneliness and wounds of residents in Yeongdeungpo’s gosiwon (small lodging houses), received the judges’ comment: “The narrator’s attitude of blowing a whistle of hope in a space of darkness and despair shows the human destiny of crawling toward the light.”

Following this, the ‘16th Gusang Literary Award’ will be presented to author Kwon Sun-hee for her poetry collection “The Words of Water that Cried Black in the Blue Sea.” Kwon Sun-hee expressed her thoughts, saying, “Receiving the Gusang Literary Award feels like a message of hope planted in the poet’s heart, which is as lonely as early winter,” and “I will continue to live and write diligently, keeping the spirit of poet Gusang in mind.”

In May, the district designated the section from Yeouidong-ro 221 to 375 (1,553m), where poet Gusang often took walks and found inspiration during his lifetime, as the honorary road ‘Gusang Poet’s Road,’ and installed a commemorative marker. Various commemorative projects are underway to reflect on the poet’s literary value.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “Literature has a powerful force that warmly illuminates the world,” and added, “We will continue to support the literary leaps of the awardees and provide unwavering support so that Yeongdeungpo, a cultural city, can develop into a city filled with the warmth of literature and arts.”