POEM BY KANG BYEONG-CHEOL (SOUTH KOREA)

Dr. Kang Byeong-Cheol is a Korean author, poet, translator, and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science. He was born in Jeju City, South Korea, in 1964. He began writing in 1993 and published his first short story, “Song of Shuba,” at the age of twenty-nine. In 2005, he published a collection of short stories. He has won four literature awards and has published more than eight books. He was a member of the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International from 2009 to 2014. He also served as the Founding President of the Korean Association of World Literature and as an editorial writer for JeminIlbo, a newspaper in Jeju City, Korea. Currently, he is a Vice President at the Korean Institute for Peace and Cooperation.

ONE’S INNER PEACE

Once, a wise man said,
“Achieve peace in your heart
Achieve peace in your family
Achieve peace in your country

World peace will naturally follow.
As your shadow follows you”

DO NOT TEACH REVENGE

Do not teach hatred to the young.
Teach mercy and tolerance to the young.

A wise man said,
“There is someone who thinks he has been harmed by others.
There will be no peace for him.”

Roses bloom with bright sunlight and clear water.
Even though they have small thorns, the lovely and red flowers are loved.

GOOD POEM

I heard
what a humble Korean novelist who received the Nobel Prize in Literature said.

“At this very moment, at this very hour, when victims of war are mourning in two places in the world,
I can’t congratulate you on winning the Nobel Prize in Literature.”

I thought to myself,
what she said was one of the best poems I’ve ever heard.