Family politely declines city’s plan to honor late novelist

“My mother liked the name Achiul before she passed away. I think she wouldn`t like to change the village’s name to Park Wan-seo Village.”

Park Wan-seo Literature Village, which was slated for construction at Seoul`s Acheon-dong (Achiul Village), where the novelist lived before she passed away in January this year, has been shelved at the request of her bereaved family. This comes after her relatives politely declined the eastern Seoul suburb of Guri’s plan for the project by following Park`s will.

The novelist was known to be picky about doing an event or project named after her.

Guri announced a plan in April to conduct a commemorative project to honor Park, who hailed from what was Gaepung, Gyeonggi Province (now North Hwanghae Province in North Korea). The city planned to create Achiul Village at the foot of Mount Acha, where Park lived for 13 years from 1998, into Park Wan-seo Literature Village.

The city also planned to create a literature hall, literature park and literary memorial stone around the home where she was born, and "literature Dure-gil (a hiking trail extending about 4 kilometers)" that interlinks Jangja Lake Park, Daejanggan (Smithy) Village and Mount Acha Goguryeo Fortress, which she would take a walk developing stories.

Guri revised its administrative agencies and executive rules on gardens and formed a task force for the memorial project.

Park’s family, however, politely declined the proposal in May. Her eldest daughter and essayist Ho Won-suk said, “My mother loved the local community and liked living at Achiul before she passed way. However, she didn`t like putting a sign just because a writer lives there.”

“My mother neither liked putting her name on a village or bus stop nor wanted a memorial hall.”

Ho added, “My mother wanted to live in harmony with ordinary people and remain in the memories of people through her books,” in expressing her intent to put a stop to the planned project.

She told The Dong-A Ilbo, “Creating a literature village is something that my mother didn`t want even when she was alive.”

Park`s family, however, agreed to cooperate with an “education program” hosted by schools or libraries in which students visit the home of the late novelist.

Guri halted the project in consideration of the family’s opinion, but will continue to operate the Park Wan-seo Archive at Inchang Library, which opened in 2009. This facility houses Park’s 177 literary works, including the first print of her novel "Namok," her handwritten manuscripts and photos.

hic@donga.com