Yi Sang

Kim Hae-Gyeong (, September 23, 1910 – April 17, 1937), also known as his art name Yi Sang (이상, 李箱) was a writer and poet who lived in Korea under Japanese rule.

He is well-known for his poems and novels, such as Crow's-Eye View and Wings.

He is considered as one of the most important and revolutionary writers of modern Korean literature.

Kim Hae-gyeong was born in Seoul, Korea on September 23, 1910 (August 20, 1910 in lunar calendar), in Seoul.

His father Kim Young-Chang worked in the letterpress printing service in a palace before his birth, but after an accident that cut off his finger, he opened a barbershop and made their living.

He was raised by his uncle Kim Yeon-Pil (hangul: 김연필, hanja: 金演弼) since 1913, because Yeon-Pil and his wife had no children at that point.

Later, however, Yeon-Pil takes Kim Young-Sook (hangul: 김영숙, hanja: 金英淑) as his concubine and the son she already had, Kim Moon-Kyung (hangul: 김문경, hanja: 金汶卿), became a legal son of Yeon-Pil.

His primary and secondary education were through Sinmyeong School (hangul: 신명학교, hanja: 新明學校. 1917–1921), Donggwang School (hangul: 동광학교, hanja: 東光學校. 1921–1922) and Posung School (Seoul) (hangul: 보성고등보통학교, hanja: 普成高等普通學校.1922–1926. Donggwang School was merged into Posung School at 1922.).

He met his friend Koo Bon-Woong (hangul: 구본웅, hanja: 具本雄) at Sinmyeong School.

The Posung School record shows that he wanted to become an artist.

In 1926, he entered Gyeongseong College of Engineering (hangul: 경성고등공업학교, hanja: 京城高等工業學校), which was the most prominent tertiary education institution at that time, majoring architecture.

In 1928, he graduated the college with 1st place honor.

In the graduation photobook, he used his writing name Yi Sang (hangul: 이상, hanja: 李箱) for the first time, as far as known.

In April 1929, with the recommendation through the college, he was employed as a public official (hangul: 기수, hanja: 技手) in the architecture team in the department of domestic affairs (hangul: 내무국 건축과, hanja: 內務局 建築課) of the Government-General of Korea (hangul: 조선총독부, hanja: 朝鮮總督府).

At November, he moved his position to the building maintenance team of the department of secretariat and accounting (hangul: 관방회계과 영선계, hanja: 官房會計課 營繕係).

In December 1929, he became a member of Joseon Architecture Society (Joseon Geonchukhoe, hangul: 조선건축회, hanja: 朝鮮建築會), of which the members were mainly Japanese architects in Korea, and he won first and third prizes in a design contest for the cover of Joseon and Architecture (Joseongwa Geonchuk, Japanese: 朝鮮と建築, hangul: 조선과건축), a journal issued by the Joseon Architecture Society.

Most of his works were produced during the 1930s.

In 1933, he coughed up blood as he had tuberculosis, which had him quit his job as a public official of architecture.

Then he opened a coffee house, Jebi, where he had related with other writers and artists.

In 1933, he was an editorial advisor to and played a major role in promoting Yi sang's poems to the world.

With the help of Jeong Ji-yong, Yi sang published works such as "꽃나무" and "이런시" in Korean in .

Park Tae-won and Yi Sang were members of Guinhoe(九人會), which means the Circle of Nine people.

The time when they first met is supposed June or July 1933, because, Kim Ki-rim, one of members of Guinhoe, and Ko Un wrote Jebi was held in July 1933 and Kim Ok-hee, sister of Yi Sang, wrote June of same year.

The story of their first met is written in Park Tae-won’s memoir for Yi sang, “Yi sang-ui Pyeonmo (이상의 편모)” after Yi sang’s death.

In 1934 he joined the Circle of Nine (Guinhoe, hangul: 구인회, hanja: 九人會), of which core members included Kim Kirim, Lee Taejun, and Jung Jiyong.

And they joined the club in 1934.

They first met at Dabang Jebi, which is coffee house opened by Yi Sang in Jong-no 1(il)-ga.

In 1935, the coffee shop Jebi was closed due to financial difficulties and broke up with Geumhong.

Cafe Tsuru and Coffee Shop 69 in Insa-dong were opened and transferred, and after managing Coffee Shop Mugi in Myeong-dong, and right after he closed it he healed in Seongcheon and Incheon.

In 1936 Yi Sang edited Siwa soseol (hangul: 시와 소설), the Circle of Nine magazine, published by Changmunsa under the aegis of Koo Bonung.

His “Street exterior, street passage” (Gaoe gajeon, hangul: 가외가전, hanja: 街外街傳) was published in this journal.

His short story “Diary Before Death” (Jongsaenggi, hangul: 종생기, hanja: 終生記) and his personal memoir “Monotony” (Gwontae, hangul: 권태, hanja: 倦怠) were published posthumously in Tokyo.

In November 1936 he went to Japan.

In February 1937, he was investigated by the Nishi-Ganda Police Station in Tokyo on ideological charges, and after being investigated for about a month, he was bailed for worsening tuberculosis and released from prison.

He was hospitalized to the Tokyo Imperial University Hospital, and died on April 17 at the age of 28 at the Tokyo Imperial University Hospital.

His wife, Byun Dong-rim, moved to Japan directly after hearing that Yi Sang was in critical condition, and after Yi Sang died, She cremated his ashes and buried them in Miari Cemetery.

Later, according to Byun Dong-rim, Byun Dong-rim asked him what he wanted to eat, and he died soon after leaving the words, "Sembikiya's melon."

Park Tae-won, a fellow literary man and friend, mentions the following, "He loved girl so much, loved alcohol, loved his friends, and loved literature, but not half of it loved his body."

And "His death is named as death from illness, but isn't the essence of death suicide? Such suspicions become intense," he said.

Jung Ji-yong is a founding member of the Guinhoe which Lee Sang belongs.