This place is quite famous. The Literary Museum here has a unique appearance. Yun Dongju Literary Museum was established by renovating the Cheongun Waterworks Booster Station and its water tank. It's truly remarkable to think that a massive water tank has been repurposed into an exhibition space. While literature might still be a bit challenging for me, I have a sense that this space, which once carried water through the waterworks, now conveys an abundance of literary spirit to people. The concept of using the waterworks booster station as a literary museum was inspired by the image of a well depicted in Yun Dongju's poem 'Self-Portrait. Though the space isn't very large, it houses Yun Dongju's works, letters, and personal belongings, offering a vivid recollection of the young poet who cherished our language and our literature.

The presence of the Yun Dongju Literary Museum in this spot has a strong connection to Yun Dongju Hill situated just above it. It's told that Yun Dongju, during his years of study in Seoul, used to stroll and contemplate in this area with friends, where he contemplated and composed some of his most renowned poems, including 'Seo-si' and ‘The Night of Counting Stars.’

Yun Dongju Hill is home to a memorial stone commemorating the exquisite poem ‘Seo-si.' Reading this poem has a soothing effect on me, and at the same time, it also evokes a warm feeling. I might have gone on a bit of a tangent there. Here's an interesting story. When they put in this memorial stone, they apparently brought soil from the poet's grave in Bukgan-do Yongjeong to this location. So, you could say it's yet another space where the poet's footsteps are preserved.

Now, shall we take a moment to learn more about the poet Yun Dongju? It took a bit of research, but it was truly rewarding.

Poet Yun Dongju was born in 1917 in Myeongdong-chon, Bukgan-do. He's actually much younger than me, isn't he? Haha. By the way, Myeongdongchon was a Korean settlement established by immigrants from Hamgyeong-do in 1899, and it was a place where new learning and Protestantism were embraced from an early age. The poet attended Myeongdong School in this area.


Yun Dongju began composing poetry and reading numerous books from a young age, but it was when he entered Yeonhui College in 1938 that he truly blossomed. There, he attended lectures by Korean linguist Choi Hyeonbae on the Korean language, historian Son Jintae on history, and English scholar Lee Yangha on literature. These experiences helped nurture his sensitivity towards our nation's language, writing, and spirit.

In fact, I hold the teachings of my alma mater, Paiwha Girls' School, in high regard as well. Especially, I miss figures like Mr. Namgung Eok, a journalist and modern Enlightenment thinker, and Mrs. Cha Mirisa. Mrs. Cha Mirisa guided us on how to think and act as Koreans and intellectuals, regardless of being a woman.

Now, Let's continue with the story of Yun Dongju, the poet. Yun Dongju grappled with the harsh reality of his homeland being a colony and his own identity as someone born in Bukgan-do, which was beyond the ambiguous border of the nation. He expressed these thoughts through his poetry.

Yun Dongju, who often viewed life and the world through his poetry, went through a period of not writing any poems for a whole year. It was when the war began engulfing everything. The poet couldn't write poetry for a while due to his inner struggles, but later, he presented verses that candidly expressed his wanderings and dilemmas. His famous work, ‘Seo-si' was created during this period.

After graduating from Yeonhui College, Yun Dongju left for Japan in 1942 to pursue his studies. However, while in Japan, he and his cousin Song Mongkyu were arrested by Japanese police on charges related to the 'Joseon independence movement.' As it is widely known, he tragically became a subject of human experimentation and lost his life in Fukuoka Prison.

While his pure and innocent soul was extinguished, Yun Dongju possessed another dimension to his character.

In 2010, the trial records of Yun Dongju were made public. During his trial in Japan, he courageously voiced his beliefs, saying, 'We must nurture the skills and national identity of Joseon peoples to establish the groundwork for the independence movement,' and he emphatically declared, 'For the liberation of Joseon, Japan must be defeated in the Greater East Asian War.’

Yun Dongju had intended to publish his poems before going to study in Japan, but under Japanese colonial rule, his poems couldn't be published. It was only after liberation that his poetry collection, titled 'Heaven, Wind, Stars, and Poetry,' could finally see the light of day.

Let's now take our steps to another location where his legacy is preserved. Yun Dongju may have once walked the path you're on right now. How does that make you feel? Doesn't it evoke something special within you? It's indeed a blessing that we can now freely read and appreciate Yun Dongju's poems.

Now, from here, I'll lead you along the Inwangsan Forest Trail towards Suseong-dong Valley. This is the path that follows the Inwangsan Beltway, a creation that emerged as a result of the 1.21 Incident' we talked about earlier. It's a trail consisting of wooden walkways and hiking paths along the foothills of Inwangsan Mountain. It might be a bit of a journey, but shall we walk together while listening to his poems?

(Recites several poems)

〈Seosi (Prelude)〉
Until the day I die, I wish
I will have no shame when I look up at the sky.
It pains me to see
even the wind rustling the leaves.
I will love every dying thing
like singing the stars.
And I will walk the only path
that is laid out before me.

Tonight again, the wind is rustling the stars.

〈Jahwasang (Self-portrait)〉
I walked around the spur of the mountain
to a remote well by the rice field and I looked into it, in silent solitude.

In the well, the moon was bright, the clouds were passing, the sky was big, the blue wind was blowing, and the autumn was there.

And there was a man.
I didn't like the man I saw for some reason, so I turned around and left.

On second thought on my way back though, I felt sorry for the man.
So I go back there, and see the man still in the well.

I didn't like the man I saw again, so I turned around and left.
On second thought on my way back though, I missed the man.

In the well, the moon was bright, the clouds were passing, the sky was big,
the blue wind was blowing, the autumn was here, and there was a man like an old memory.

〈Gil (Street)〉
I lost something.
I didn’t know what and where I lost it,
so I rummage through my pockets with both of my hands
and I go out to the street.

There are stones, stones, and stones
and the street winds through the endless stone wall.

The wall with a locked iron gate
casts a shadow over the street

and the street runs from the morning to the evening.
It runs from the evening to the morning.

I touch the stone wall and shed some tears.
But when I look at the sky, it’s so blue that it makes feel ashamed.

The reason I walk this street that is so barren without any plants,
is because there is another me from the past on the other side of the wall.

I just keep on living only because
I’m still looking for something I lost.

Strolling with his poems feels like strolling beside the poet. The view is breathtaking as you reflect on his verses. It's truly remarkable, isn't it?

When I was in school, more than a hundred years ago, Seoul was called Gyeongseong. The atmosphere of the Joseon era and the essence of the Korean Empire, established in 1897, were still very much alive. Giwajip, where Joseon people congregated, adorned the city and the hillsides.

However, there were new, massive buildings that had emerged, unlike anything seen before. The most notable among these was the immense Japanese Government-General of Korea that stood across from Geunjeongjeon Hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Additionally, the Joseon Shrine on Namsan, was constructed as if to dominate the land of Joseon.

But now, it has become the Seoul we are familiar with today. Seoul—what an inspiring name it holds. As I look at Seoul, it feels as though tears could well up. When you think about it, 'we' are truly remarkable and extraordinary individuals. Let's move forward with our journey to the next destination.