Gwangju Koryoin Village's 'Hangeul Literature Special Exhibition' Attracts Domestic and International Attention

Spotlight on Koryo Ilbo and Sakhalin Writers
A Literary Record Preserving the Mother Tongue

The "Koryoin Hangeul Literature Special Exhibition," being held in Gwangju Koryoin Village to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Liberation, continues to attract both domestic and international visitors.

According to Koryoin Village on the 6th, this exhibition highlights the role of the Koryo Ilbo and the literary activities of Sakhalin Korean writers throughout the 160-year history of Koryoin migration to Russia, focusing on the preservation of the mother tongue and the significance of Hangeul literature.

Marking the 80th anniversary of liberation, the "Koryoin Hangul Literature Special Exhibition" held in the Gwangju Koryoin Village is attracting great interest from domestic and international visitors.

The exhibition draws attention to the historical contributions of the Koryo Ilbo. Even after liberation, the Koryo Ilbo served as an ethnic newspaper for about 40,000 Sakhalin Koreans who remained in the Soviet Union and had to live without citizenship, delivering news in Hangeul. Despite such circumstances, the Koryoin community preserved their identity and mother tongue through media and literature.

Notable figures include Lee Jeonghee (1946~), who was active as a writer, journalist, and translator, and Kim Sungjo (1946~), deputy editor-in-chief of the Koryo Ilbo. Lee Jeonghee, originally from Sakhalin, joined the first Central Asian Hangeul newspaper and published her first work in 1966, leaving behind more than 30 short stories until 2022. Her short story "Beautiful Simcheong" was included in "April Sunshine" in 1971, marking the first time a work by a Koryoin female writer was published in a standalone volume.

Deputy editor-in-chief Kim Sungjo was the last among Sakhalin Koreans to join the Koryo Ilbo and safeguarded the newspaper through turbulent times, including the dissolution of the Soviet Union and media oppression, even when it faced the threat of closure. His contributions are a major reason why the Koryo Ilbo remains the leading ethnic media outlet in the Central Asian Koryoin community today.

The Koryoin Cultural Center will invite these two figures to hold a talk show at 3 p.m. on the 11th at the Koryoin Village Community Center. The event will feature vivid stories about the lives and literature of Sakhalin Koryoin and the role of ethnic media.