Park Nohae: Revolutionary Politics and Poetry in South Korea

Park Nohae emerged as a powerful literary voice in South Korea during the tumultuous 1980s, though at the time few knew who he actually was. He was the faceless poet. The voice of the many. Working various manual labor jobs which exposed him to the harsh realities faced by the working class, he became a champion of labor rights and social justice. His collection of poems "노동의 새벽( Dawn of Labor)" published in 1984 sold over a million copies. However, his call for change and a new sky over the South Korean people brought him into conflict with the military dictatorship. He was arrested and sentenced to life in prison, though many called for the death penalty. Eventually, after seven long years, much of which was solitary confinement, he was released.

Today he still writes poetry and takes photos, sharing his wisdom and insights with a new generation. You can also visit his photo exhibitions in Seoul, with images captured in Iraq and Palestine. However, Park shuns the limelight, rarely giving interviews and not wanting fame or publicity.

This conversation with Cheehyung Harrison Kim celebrates the first English publication of Dawn of Labor, a book which he worked on with Brother Anthony (An Sonjae). Harrison is an associate professor of Korean history at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. We are also joined by Seoul Women's University student Kim Jiwon.

Dawn of Labor: https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/dawn-of-labor/

Park Nohae (twitter): https://x.com/parknohae

Park Nohae (insta): https://www.instagram.com/park_nohae/

Park's latest book (Korean): https://gift.kakao.com/product/9251669?input_channel_id=2630

Nanum Munhwa: https://www.nanum.com/site/

Discussion Outline 

0:00 Introduction

7:30 The context:

1980s Korea

20:27 Politics and leftist ideas

28:15 Gender and feminism in Park's work

48:55 Dawn of Labor

53:40 Love by Park Nohae

58:55 How Much? by Park Nohae

1:07:50 Mother by Park Nohae

1:18:15 Arrest and imprisonment

1:24:10 The artwork of Oh Yoon

1:27:10 The color blue

1:31:25 Park Nohae and the world

1:37:50 Reading and translating Park Nohae

2:00:15 Recommendations

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

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