Pak Se-yong (; 7 July 1902 – 28 February 1989) was a North Korean poet and politician, best known for writing the lyrics of "

Aegukka "" ( Chosŏn'gŭl: ), officially translated as "Patriotic Song", is the national anthem of North Korea. It was composed in 1945 as a patriotic song celebrating independence from Japanese occupation and was adopted as the state anthem in 1947. ...

", the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

of North Korea.

Early life

Pak was a native of Dumo-ri,

Outer old Seoul Seongjeosimni (, or sometimes romanized as Seongjeo Shibri) was the peripheral area of Joseon's capital city, (), literally meaning areas 10 Ri (Korean mile) around the Fortress Wall of Seoul. Though this area was outside of the Fortress Wall ...

in what is now

Seongdong District Seongdong District () is one of the 25 List of districts of Seoul, districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is situated on the north bank of the Han River (Korea), Han River. It is divided into 20 ''dong'' (neighbourhoods). The ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. When he was in his third year in , he made a

Doujinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created b ...

''Saenuri(New world)'' that was shared among people who shared his dreams as a person involved in literature, and after graduating he enrolled in Yeonhi professional school (Modern day

Yonsei University Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...

) but he soon dropped out and studied in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. In Shanghai, he worked as the china correspondent for Yeomgunsa (焰群社), a socialist cultural organization that was formed in Korea by song young lee ho and lee jeok hyo, whose aim was to research and distribute culture that liberates the proletariat. Eventually, after joining the Korean Artists' Proletarian Federation in 1925, he started writing progressive poetry. From 1923 to 1943, he edited the youth magazine ''byeolnara'' with his comrades, and released children's novels and reviews as part of the youth literature movement, and he produced his first collection of poems called ''Sanjebi''. Post-1945, his work began to have a realist trend. In 1946, he crossed over to the Soviet-controlled northern half of the

Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

, allegedly as a result of the foreign occupation of the south, shattering his hopes.

In politics

Pak became involved in North Korean politics from the country's earliest days. In 1948, he became a member of the

Supreme People's Assembly The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the legislature of North Korea. It is ostensibly the highest organ of state power and the only branch of government in North Korea, with all state organs subservient to it under the principle of unified ...

. In May 1954, he was named a member of the central committee of the General League of Culture and Art. In October 1956, he was elevated to the standing committee of the Writers League. In 1961, he became a member of the central committee of the newly created

Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK; ) was a North Korean state agency aimed at promoting Korean reunification. The committee was tasked with relations with South Korea, which could not be handled through official chann ...

Poetry

Pak finished writing the lyrics of "Aegukka" in June 1947. Other representative works of his include the lyric poems "The sunrise at Poch'onbo" (1962), "History of Millim" (1962), and "When a fire is lit in the heart" (1963). His other famous song was The Glorious Motherland.

References

1902 births 1989 deaths North Korean male poets People from Seongdong District Politicians from Seoul 20th-century North Korean poets National anthem writers 20th-century male writers Members of the 1st Supreme People's Assembly South Korean emigrants to North Korea Burials at the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery {{NorthKorea-politician-stub

Early life

In politics

Poetry

See also

References