Voices of Resistance: Korean Poets During the Japanese Colonial Era

Poetry as Resistance: The Power of Words Under Japanese Rule

Poetry has great power. Poets can use poetry as a medium of conveying their will to fight against an illogical society's atmosphere. For Koreans living under Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945), poetry became more than art; it was a voice of resistance, identity, and hope.

In this article, I'll introduce Korean poets who wrote poetry to stand against Japan's suppression with courage, longing for their country’s freedom, and communicating the enduring strength of the Korean people.

Yun in 1942

Dongju Yun: A Star That Burned Briefly

Dongju Yun was a Korean poet born in 1917. He started to write poems when he was in middle school. During his time at university, Yun studied English literature in Japan. While in Japan, he was well educated and lived in good conditions. 

However, being Korean while comfortably living in Japan made him feel guilty during this time because Korea was standing against the Japanese occupation. Yun was arrested for participating in the independence movement by writing poems in the Korean language. 

With liberation just around the corner, he died in a Fukuoka, Japan jail at the age of 28. His most well-known poem is Counting the Stars at Night. It holds the reflection on the suffering of his nation, Korea, a search for personal identity and meaning, and a longing for lost innocence and hope.

Yuk-sa Lee (Photo Credit: Yonhap News)

Yuk-sa Lee: The Voice of the Wilderness and Freedom

Our next Korean poet, Yuksa Lee, was born in 1904. He first began his independence movement in 1925. He joined an independence group named Heroic Corps and actively participated in independence struggles. He was arrested 17 times and tortured. His final arrest occurred in Beijing, China, where he died in prison.

His most well-known poems are “Wilderness” and “Climax”. The poems talk about a national spirit that does not wear off and shows a strong will to stand against colonial rule.

Yong-un Han during his imprisonment in Seodaemun Prison. (Photo Credit: Manhae Memorial Hall)

Yong-un Han: Love, Faith, and Liberation Through Poetry

The final poet I will introduce is Yong-un Han. Han was born in 1879. During the Japanese colonial era, he was one of the 33 national representatives who signed the Korean Declaration of Independence. He was not only a poet, but also a monk and an independence activist.

While being captured in jail, he wrote the Chosun Independence Book and insisted on independence and freedom for his country from Japanese rule. He died of paralysis in 1944. His most well-known poem is The Silence of Love. It talks about the sadness of ‘my love' leaving, but in this poem, ‘my love’ represents a stolen country and freedom. Also, the first line, “Love is gone”, reads as the absence of a lover or the absence of freedoms in his country.

Legacy of Korean Poets During the Japanese Colonial Era

In the Japanese colonial era, many of the Korean poets wrote a lot of poems about their desperate situation and their experience as those around them tried to silence their voice. Their legacy challenges us to live with gratitude towards everyone who protected our country by conducting various forms of independence movements, such as writing literature that promotes personal civil liberties and freedom for all. Literature is not only a mirror of its time, but also a force for change.