Gov't announces newly-designated cultural assets

Two pieces of historical records are to join the ranks of cultural assets – a poem handwritten by Korean poet Lee Yuk-sa (1904-1944), who resisted Japanese colonial rule, and a diary of Gen. Ji Chung-chun (1888-1957), who led the Korean Liberation Army of the Korean provisional government.

The Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea announced on Monday that it will register three cases – Lee Yuk-sa’s poem of “The heart of the sea,” Ji Chung-chun’s diary and a previous township office of Jinwol Town in Gwangyang City, South Jeolla Province - as cultural assets.

“The heart of the sea” is a three-line stanza, which Lee Yuk-sa wrote on his own with his fountain pen on squared manuscript paper. There are only a handful of handwritten poems of the poet. The cultural agency explained that only two pieces have been found – “The heart of the sea” and “Pyonbok” that was registered as part of cultural heritages in May this year.

Gen. Ji's diary consists of five books that were handwritten in the Korean alphabet and Chinese letters between 1951 and 1956. The historic record is considered significant in Korea’s modern politics as he wrote his political activities as a member of the Constituent Assembly after liberation.


Won-Mo Yu onemore@donga.com