Pukyong National University

△ Alumnus Ryu Cheong-ro is standing by the bust of Hyangpa, Lee Ju-hong ⓒ Photo by Lee Sung-jae (PR team)

On June 5, I met Mr.Ryu in the meeting room of 'Lee Ju-hong Literary House' in Oncheon 1dong, Dongrae-gu, Busan, and he had a wide arms of comforts that made me relaxed with his ingenuous smile and blunt talk.
 
Pukyong Today met him because he is the alumnus of Pukyong National University (enrolled in 1970, Dept. of Fisheries) and as the chairman of the Lee Ju-hong Literature Foundation, he led the Lee Ju-hong Literature Festival on June 5 to success, this was because I wanted to open a story about 'Lee Ju-hong (1906~1987) to the readers of Pukyong Today.

The big peaks of Korean culture and arts industry, Lee Ju-hong is also Pukyung people. Lee Ju-hong has been a professor at National Fisheries University in Pusan (Present Pukyong National University) since 1949 and trained younger students for about 40 years until his death in 1987.

Lee Ju-hong, one of the pioneers of children's literature in Korea, has made great achievements in the history of Korean literature with his vigorous activities in various genres of literature, including novels, poetry, play, children's poem, children's story, translated books, literaty paintings. He won the Korean Culture Medal, the Korean Art Award, and the Busan City Culture Award.

"I am Lee Ju-hong's last disciple generation. I attended Korean language classes taught by Professor Lee Ju-hong during my first year in university in 1970. It was only Korean and philosophy that I received an A grade." said Mr.Ryu.

He liked and followed Lee Ju-hong so much. Due to the special time of that time, Ryu Cheong-ro, a literary youth, became chairman of the Lee Ju-hong Literature Foundation 50 years later.

What kind of professor was Lee Ju-hong at that time?

△ Hyangpa, Lee Ju-hong

Ryu was also a literary youth at that time. He said, "I participated in the Maritime Literature Society and the drama society, Baek-kyong Drama Literature Study Group, and participated in many plays such as' Moby Dick', 'The life of deviated Chun-Hyang' and so on. Since there was our teacher, nobody raised objections to why Busan Fisheries National University students, who had no College of Liberal Arts, were so passionate about play or literature."

"Lee Ju-hong was a good teacher who admitted the students who were wild and poor, full of enthusiasm and passion, like the outlaws, and kept the viewpoint of the observant. It was difficult for anyone to imitate the preaching of his talents to students in all fields of literature, paintings and calligraphic works, publishing, and plays." said Mr.Ryu, looked back on the past.

Lee Ju-hong's pseudonym is Hyangpa (向破). Does it mean to break down?

When Mr.Ryu was in the fourth grade of University. The story he had been drinking and drinking in a foreign harbor (not the story about practice shipboarding) was serialized in a school newspaper as a story of ocean fishing shipboard training, and he was almost disciplined by the university headquarters. Mr.Ryu said, "I realized that I was able to avoid the discipline at that time because there was Lee Ju-hong, a professor who understands and tells 'Because you are young, you may be able to do that.'"

Mr.Ryu is an alumnus professor who fostered students in Department of Ocean Engineering and retired in February 2018.

He said, "I think young people should do that. It is important to go to the right road, but it is also necessary to go to the other road. He was the one who cheered and supported the youth like the outlaws."

He called himself an outlaw, enjoying the stage set by Hyangpa. He said, "At the Maritime Literature Society, I have played poetry drama, playing and directing dramas in the drama circle, playing the drama sound with playing Korean flute, and playing and enjoying it at the fountain of art.", he said.

△ Lee Ju-hong in his youth.

In 1925, Hyangpa published a fairy tale 'Dance (舞跳) of Young snake' in <Sinsonyeon>, and in 1929, a short novel 'Poor Love' was awarded to the Chosun Ilbo.

He has written about 200 books, including children's poem books, fairy tale books, poetry books, novels, novels for Juvenile, essays and plays. The great writer such a vast and magnificent work in various fields in Korean modern literary history is hard to find except for Hyangpa.
 
In particular, Hyangpa was the first publishing artist, along with Jeong Hyun-woong, as well as cover paintings and embellishments of representative magazines and works of Korean modern literary history. The paintings of intense signs drawn in magazines such as <Sinsonyeon> <Byeolnara> are evaluated as having made a great achievement by internalizing Korean modern literature widely and accurately.

The picture and the text were also excellent. Simple yet energetic calligraphy of Hyangpa, the colorful paintings, which are delicate yet without losing the elegance of the monks, have formed a unique world that combines traditional ink painting with modern paintings. Hyangpa has drawn many cartoons, including 'Ddock-Doogi eui Seol-nori' in the <Chosun Ilbo> in 1934, and it is estimated that the era of comics, which is cartoon of literary person with full of humor and satire, originated from Hyangpa.

Mr.Ryu said, "Today, the birthplace of the Lee Ju-hong Memorial Project is the 'Lee Ju-hong Children's Literature Prize Management Committee' formed by the students of Lee Ju-hong in 1980." and he added, "The disciples served as the President of Pukyong National University, Kim Young, a representative marine scientist in Korea, like Huh Hyung-taek."


△ Lee Ju-hong's work 'Pomegranate'


△ The museum (right) and the hanging board of old student hall 'Baek-kyong Hall', made with the letter written by the teacher Lee Ju-hong himself.

The traces of Hyangpa are also found in Pukyong National University. Pukyong National University's General lecture complex, Hyangpa building is named after Lee Ju-hong, and there is also a Hyangpa's Literature Stone in front of the building. Behind it, there is a 'Alley of Hyangpa's Literature'.

Mr.Ryu said, "Hyangpa is a valuable asset of Pukyong National University. Today, I would like to continue to work with Pukyong National University to remember Hyangpa more people, to learn his literary spirit and to pass on the road to future generations." and added, "The founder of marine humanities in particular, was Hyangpa. In that respect, the headquarters of marine humanities should be Pukyong National University. We should do that."

I asked Mr.Ryu to say something to his university juniors and the answer came back.

"Hyangpa was a middle school graduate. He learned for himself and became a great writer." and, "Hyangpa's life was a life of self-learning" he said. "Do not be frustrated."

I was curious. What is the dream of a 'mischievous boy'? He replied like this.

"During my university life, it was my dream to become a captain. After the ship had sunk, there was no captain, and it was a dream to be discovered as a bunch of manuscripts in the captain's office. Although I did not become a captain, but I want to leave a bunch of manuscripts. I want to leave a bunch of manuscripts written freely, without anyone being aware of anything. It will become a marine novel." <Pukyong Today>


△ Hyangpa building (left side) and the Hyangpa's literature stone infront of it.

△ Literary Alley that meets Daeyeon campus of Pukyong National University.