A New Perspective on the Life and Academic Achievements
Gwangyang City in South Jeolla Province announced that the Jinwol-myeon Development Council (Chairman Kim Heonwook) will hold the "Baekyoung Jeong Byeongwook Cultural Festival" at 2 p.m. on the 26th in the multipurpose auditorium of the Dalbitnaru Comprehensive Welfare Center.
This event has been organized to newly shed light on the life and academic achievements of Jeong Byeongwook, who has been known primarily as the person who preserved and passed down the posthumous works of poet Yun Dongju.
Gwangyang City will hold the "Baekyoung Jeong Byeongwook Cultural Festival" at 2 p.m. on the 26th in the multipurpose auditorium of the Dalbitnaru Comprehensive Welfare Center. Provided by Gwangyang City
This cultural festival, conducted as part of the "2025 Gwangyang City Local Subsidy Project for Culture and Arts," is hosted by Gwangyang City, organized by the Jinwol-myeon Development Council, and co-organized by the Gwangyang City Council and the Gwangyang Cultural Center.
The event will open with a pansori performance by master singer Lee Yeonhwa, a native of Gwangyang, accompanied by drummer Lee Youngchae, followed by lectures and discussions.
The lecture theme is "Baekyoung Jeong Byeongwook and the Roots of Our Culture and Arts," with presentations by Lee Sungwoong, former mayor of Gwangyang (on the connection between Jeong Byeongwook's family and Gwangyang), Lim Jootak, professor at Pusan National University (on Baekyoung's academic achievements), and Chae Heewan, director of the Institute of National Aesthetics (on Baekyoung's appreciation for traditional culture and style).
The discussion panel will feature Na Jongnyeon, president of the Gwangyang City Cultural Interpretation Society, Kim Yongchan, professor at Suncheon National University, and Son Taedo, president of the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Society.
Jeong Byeongwook is widely known for his devoted efforts to introduce Yun Dongju to the world, but he also made significant contributions to Korean literary history as a scholar. He served as a professor of Korean literature at Pusan National University, Yonsei University, and Seoul National University, achieving remarkable accomplishments in the study of Korean classical literature, preservation of pansori, exploration of national aesthetics, and the promotion of traditional arts and culture.
Gwangyang City and the Jinwol-myeon Development Council expect that this cultural festival will serve as an opportunity to reshape public perception of Jeong Byeongwook.
In particular, they believe it will be a meaningful occasion to go beyond recognizing him merely as the junior who introduced the internationally acclaimed "Brilliant Light of Modern Korean Literature," Yun Dongju's poetry, to the world, and instead, to newly highlight his achievements as a scholar who, inspired by the landscapes, customs, and cultural sentiments of the Seomjingang River region, established a monumental legacy in Korean literary studies.
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