Yi Byeong-gi (; 1891–1968) studied Korean literature in Chinese, and then pursued the study of the Korean vernacular. His

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

is Garam ().

Biography

Yi was born in 1891 in

Iksan Iksan (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" (), but merged with Iksan County (''Iksan-gun'') in 19 ...

, Jeollabuk-do. He was a member the

Korean Language Society The Korean Language Society () is a society of hangul and Korean language research, founded in 1908 by Ju Sigyeong. It promotes hangul exclusive writing. Hangul Day was founded in 1926 during the Japanese occupation of Korea by members of the K ...

, and in 1942 was arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese colonial authorities. Released September 1943, he worked on the family farm and pursued his studies. At the end of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

, he was employed by the occupation military government, and also at Seoul National University's College of Liberal Arts (1946–1950), where he taught Korean literature. Following the

Korean war The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, he returned home to teach at

Jeonbuk National University Jeonbuk National University (JBNU; ) is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities founded in 1947, located in Jeonju, South Korea. Jeonbuk National University has been ranked 551–560th in the world by QS Top Universities Ranking in 2023 ...

(retiring in 1956). He opposed the Japanese colonial rule by promoting the use of the Korean alphabet (

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

). He created the journal ''Munjang'' (Literary Style) where he promoted modern Korean poetry, but also serialized many classics like Hanjungnok (Feb. 1939-Jan. 1940) and Inhyeon syeongmo minsi deokhaengnok 63 jangbon (1940). As a member of the

, he was jailed in the

Korean Language Society Incident The refers to the arrest, torture, and imprisonment of members of the Korean Language Society, which occurred in 1942 under the Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese colonial rule of Korea. Description In mid-1942, an investigation by the prov ...

by the Japanese colonial forces. He is known for his

sijo ''Sijo'' (, ) is a Korean traditional poetic form that emerged during the Goryeo dynasty, flourished during the Joseon dynasty, and is still written today. Bucolic, metaphysical, and cosmological themes are often explored. The three lines ave ...

and for his work on both the Korean language and literature. In particular he wrote revitalised the writing of

, writing hundreds, and discussing the practice of sijo in many articles. His best known collection of sijo is
Karam Sijo Chip
' (Karam's Sijo Collection), first published in 1939, during the Japanese colonial occupation, and then republished in 1947. After the recovery of Korean Independence, he established the Garam Library in the Seoul National University. In addition to his sijo, he collected and wrote commentaries on Korean literature and on Korean history. Among these are Hanjungnok, and Inhyeon wanghu jeon, "Yolowonyahwagi" and "Chunhyangga".

References

1891 births 1968 deaths Date of birth missing Date of death missing Place of birth missing Place of death missing Activists for Korean independence South Korean activists Scholars of Korean literature Members of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Korea Korean Language Society people Korean Language Society incident Recipients of the Order of Merit for National Foundation {{SouthKorea-bio-stub