Excerpt from Poet Choi Seungja's "Twenty Years Later, To Ji"
A Message of Encouragement to Live with Hope and Support One Another
"Isn't it strange? To be alive is such a precariously beautiful thing."
On September 1, Kyobo Life announced that it has newly decorated the Gwanghwamun Geulpan in celebration of autumn.
This autumn edition of the Gwanghwamun Geulpan features a quote from poet Choi Seungja's poem "Twenty Years Later, To Ji." Choi Seungja made her literary debut in 1979 through "Literature and Intellect." She gained widespread popularity with poetry collections such as "Love of This Era," "Joyful Diary," and "House of Memories." She is regarded as one of the poets who defined her era, raising the voices of women and standing against the times. She received the 18th Daesan Literary Award and the 5th Jirisan Literary Award for her poetry collection "Lonely and Far Away," and the 27th Pyeonun Literary Award for "Empty Like an Empty Boat."
On the 1st, the 'Gwanghwamun Geulpan Autumn Edition' is displayed at the Kyobo Life Building in Gwanghwamun, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Kyobo Life
This message conveys the meaning that even if life is exhausting and difficult, living each day diligently will eventually lead to beautiful outcomes. It also delivers a message of encouragement to not lose hope and to support each other as we live our lives.
The autumn edition of the Gwanghwamun Geulpan is even more meaningful as it was created based on the grand prize-winning entry of a university student design competition. A total of 474 works were submitted to the competition, resulting in fierce competition.
Kyobo Life selected a total of seven winning entries, including the grand prize, excellence award, and encouragement award, through a fair review process involving university professors and designers.
The grand prize winner, Cho Hyejun (20, Korea National University of Education), used a curved graph as a motif to symbolically express life. The design depicts living beings navigating life in their own ways along rising and falling curves. It aims to show the beauty of existence that bravely endures while precariously moving between balance and anxiety. Cho shared, "I participated in the competition hoping to be a small source of strength in someone's day," and added, "It is meaningful to see my own design displayed."
Since 1991, the Gwanghwamun Geulpan has delivered messages of hope and love for over 30 years. This autumn edition will be displayed at the Kyobo Life Building in Gwanghwamun, the Kyobo Tower in Gangnam, and other locations until the end of November. It can also be viewed on the Gwanghwamun Geulpan website.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
